Bakeries all over Spain turned off their ovens for 15 minutes on Friday for ‘Without light, there is no bread’, a protest movement against the rising prices of energy and essential goods.
In Barcelona, the ‘Obrador dels 15’ bakery turned all of its lights off, shut down its oven and ceased production. The bakery even left its customers in the dark.
Monica Gregori, the bakery’s owner explained the challenges she and her colleagues are facing as energy prices continue to skyrocket across Europe.
“The impact on all trade from these energy increases is very big, but for small producers like us, who need ovens at 250 degrees, many refrigerators to keep our bread fermenting, or freezers at minus 20 degrees to keep the cakes in good condition, this is a very large energy consumption and a very large impact on our income,” she said.
According to Gregori, the price of flour has gone up by 80 per cent in recent months.
“I see the future of the sector at risk if there isn’t some kind of change or some kind of help for artisan bakers. I see it totally at risk,” she added.
Inflation in Spain in October was at 7.3 per cent, according to the national statistics institute. A decrease from the highs of 8.9 per cent seen in recent months.
