2 weeks Ago
INDIANAPOLIS — "Chocolate is my thing," said Adrienne Savage, who visited Indianapolis from Pennsylvania. "Wherever I go, I have to find the chocolate place." She and her husband, David, stopped at DeBrand Fine Chocolates in Indy.
"We are a gourmet chocolatier," Operating Partner Bill Sonner said. "Only the finest ingredients are used from around the world and locally." Some of those ingredients, however, are impacted by global weather concerns , inflation and federal tariffs.
That can translate to higher prices for businesses. Sonner said he continues to monitor the two C's in his shop. "The price of cocoa and also coffee," Sonner said.
Luckily, Sonner says the price of his Easter baskets is secure, since staff members stocked them weeks ago. He credits company-wide early planning. "Months and months and months in advance," Sonner said.
On 86th Street in Indianapolis, it is a similar story at Sweet Things Chocolates . Staff say the cost of some goods has tripled in the past year. So far, Sweet Things isn't passing that cost onto customers.
The Savages say, even if the prices did go up, they would still shop. "The tariffs are not going to affect any of that," David said. "Yeah, because it's our little luxury treat that we have for ourselves," Adrienne said.
According to the National Retail Federation , the average consumer is expecting to pay $12 more per person this Easter. Overall, that's $23.6 billion dollars from American shoppers , which is about $1 billion more than 2024.
Another Easter staple, eggs, hit a record high on April 10. The latest consume price index had a dozen eggs costing $6.23 , at the time this article was published.
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