Workers at Rogers’ sugar refinery in Vancouver have been striking for the last eight weeks, and stores across western Canada are running out of stock.
While it is an inconvenience for many casual bakers, it is a vital supply for many businesses, including local small businesses.
Caitlin Pedde, the owner of Cait’s Sweet Bites & Beanery, is one such business that is concerned about the strike.
She told My PG Now their sugar supply is “not too bad” right now, but admitted she had to go to three different stores to grab enough sugar on her last shopping trip.
Similar to toilet paper in the spring of 2020, Pedde said some people are starting to panic buy as the strike drags on.
“I was at Walmart and I grabbed a 10-kilo bag. Two days later, they had no sugar whatsoever,” she said, adding the situation is similar in other stores around Prince George. “The shelves are pretty bare.”
“I can go through another source to get sugar, and I can do substitutions… my issue is the cost. Once the cost goes up for sugar, the prices for my baking has to go up.”
Pedde said that is the last thing she wants to do, but is a real possibility for herself and others with dwindling supply.
The cost for the remaining bags on store shelves have already spiked, she said a bag of sugar at Costco has already jumped up by a third what it is normally priced at.
“Sugar is in almost every single thing I bake,” she explained. “Even our savory stuff has a tablespoon of sugar, it is 100% vital.”
You can find Cait’s Sweet Bites & Beanery here.