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After 150 Years, Bakery Plentz Halts Cherry Cake Over Soaring Costs

Two weak Brandenburg cherry seasons drove sourcing costs so high that the longtime staple became unaffordable.

Overview

  • The bakery confirmed the pause as it sold its last slices at Berlin’s Green Week fair for €3.50, which was €1 more than last season.
  • Owner Maximilian Schöppner says a can of cherries jumped from about €5.50 to €24.18, cites Europe‑wide tight supply, and alleges some traders are withholding stock to lift prices.
  • The shop uses about 4,000 kilograms of cherries a year, and quoted wholesale costs have risen from roughly €7,000–€8,000 to demands of up to €32,000.
  • Late frosts, including −5°C on May 6, 2025, damaged blossoms after a historically poor 2024 harvest, leading to underperforming yields in Brandenburg for two straight years.
  • Plentz will pivot to apple, plum and poppy‑seed cakes for now, rejecting in‑store slice prices above €3 that it considers unfair to customers.