“We have a tight margin in the best of times.”
Chris, owner of RavenHook Bakehouse in Washington, DC, explains that rising tariffs have driven up the cost of key imported ingredients—such as sugar, chocolate, seeds, and dried fruits—along with paper and plastic packaging sourced largely from Asia. Supply backups have added further strain. With already tight margins and a commitment to keeping artisan bread affordable, the bakery is being squeezed by cost increases that raise prices not for the bread itself but simply for the packaging it must be sold in.