Soaring egg prices are casting a shadow over a beloved Easter tradition this year – decorating colored eggs.
With wholesale prices hitting a record $8.58 per dozen amid a devastating bird flu outbreak, companies that produce Easter egg dye kits are bracing for impact. For many of these businesses, Easter products represent their financial lifeline.
“I think sales will be down,” admits Ashley Phelps, founder of Color Kitchen, where Easter items generate 20% of revenue and outsell even their Christmas offerings.
The egg crisis has left the national flock at just 280 million birds – a critically low level after more than 52 million egg-laying hens have died. Consumers now face retail prices around $6 per dozen and purchase limits at many stores.
The effects are already visible. Natural Earth Paint, which typically sells up to 50,000 egg dye kits for Easter, has received orders for just 7,000 kits so far.
“It’s definitely a huge drop,” says founder Leah Fanning, noting that the egg dye kits have been the company’s “absolute bestseller” for 13 years and kept the business afloat during its first eight years.
For Color Kitchen, there’s another worry. If retailers can’t sell their inventory, the company could face costly chargebacks on unsold merchandise. “That could potentially be very bad,” Phelps explains.
Not all companies share the gloomy outlook, however. Hey Buddy Hey Pal, maker of the Eggmazing Egg Decorator, still expects an 18% jump in revenue this year. The company, which generates nearly 90% of its annual sales from Easter products, plans to sell up to 700,000 egg decorators despite retailers ordering less.
Paas, the 140-year-old market leader, remains optimistic. A recent consumer survey found 94% of families still plan to decorate eggs this Easter.
“It’s just such a sticky tradition,” says Joe Ens, CEO of Signature Brands, which owns Paas. “If you really break down the cost, it is arguably the most affordable family tradition during any holiday.” The company expects to sell over 10 million kits this year – one of its strongest seasons ever.
Retailers are also seeing customers pivot to alternatives. Michaels reports that 43% of its planned Easter sales this year are for plaster, plastic, and craft eggs. One egg decorating kit designed to “mimic the traditional egg-decorating experience” is selling nearly three times faster than anticipated.
Hey Buddy Hey Pal’s co-founder Curtis McGill notes wooden eggs offer a lasting alternative, though they cost more than real eggs. As for the egg shortage, he remains cautious: “A lot could happen between now and then… I’m just gonna hold my breath until we get to April the 20th.”
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