“Hot bread all day, we have to close,” says the baker’s boss.

As everywhere in France, Charente-Maritime’s 364 artisan bakers roll up their sleeves when it comes time to whip out “whatever it takes”. 1^er In February, electricity bills will increase by 9.8% on peak and off-peak rates and 8.6% on basic rates,…

As everywhere in France, Charente-Maritime’s 364 artisan bakers roll up their sleeves when it comes time to whip out “whatever it takes”. 1^er As part of the gradual disappearance of the “price shield” introduced at the end of February, 2021, electricity bills will increase by 9.8% on peak and off-peak rates and 8.6% on basic rates.

“A hard blow,” to use the words of Oliver Neveu, the divisional boss of a business with particularly energy-intensive activity, but not really surprising: “We’re going to swallow it, whether we like it or not. And we know that 2025 will be the same in. Let’s hope it ends in 2026.”

“Bakery admits, fights, defends himself. It has always questioned itself and is the last local business in the villages”.

In bakeries, sufficient amounts of hot (from the oven) and cold (from the window) are blown for this new addition to the question practice. “We have to stop eating warm bread all day,” summarizes Olivier Neveau.

Streamline cooking, invest in less energy-intensive equipment, favor slow proofing over blocked proofing, a technique that makes it possible to offer hot bread very quickly but requires 35% more energy… It depends on the professionals is and listen to customers: is a baguette straight from the oven at any time of the day absolutely necessary?

Sobriety

This reflection does not date from Bruno Le Maire’s announcement. In the fall of 2022, at the onset of the energy crisis, the Union published a sustainability guide. Around this same period, the departmental federation signed a partnership with Alliance Energies to have a dedicated person to visit businesses and review processes.

With double-digit hikes on certain products like butter and sugar, rising raw material prices and yet to digest inflation, business now really has no choice.

“Bakery admits, fights, defends himself. It has always questioned itself and has been the last local business in the villages – this is the strength of our business”, philosopher Olivier Neveu. “But after the increase in electricity prices, we will not have to give ourselves a coat. »