DOWNEY, Calif. — Families gathering together to make tamales is a Christmas tradition. But with prices rising across the board, it’s becoming even more expensive to keep that tradition going.
“Every holiday is different, but this is the worst one I’ve ever been through,” said Daniel Arjon, a restaurant owner in Northern California. “It is selling a lot less, a lot less this year.”
“The economy of this state has just gone downhill, and it still is, and the fact that the Hispanic community has been suffering from that nonstop is very bad to see,” said Itzel Mendoza.
One of the key ingredients to make a tamale is masa, which is corn dough.
CNN recently reported that a pound of masa, on average, costs about $1.99. That’s up about 30 cents from this time last year. Plus, rising business costs across the board aren’t making it any easier.
“Everything is going up,” said Rolando Pozos, the president of Amapola Market. “From the property taxes, to the water, to the trash. So it is incredible how things that are completely out of our control is what makes it more difficult to run a business like ours.”
But Pozos said Amapola Market is fighting to continue what’s become somewhat a tradition of its own: keeping the cost of tamales steady.
He said they’ve kept tamale prices the same for three years in a row.
“Overall, yes, the bottom line is affected, but we try to manage, even crazy things about logistics and the supply chain,” Pozos said.
Customers who were lined up to buy ingredients for tamales at Amapola Market’s Downey store expressed relief.
“I think that’s amazing. Honestly, it’s really considerate,” said Lenette Sanchez. “Especially in this economy, it’s bringing smiles home and bringing the family closer.”
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