The New Indian Express ·
Sugar squeeze hits B'luru kitchens as prices spike, supplies turn unpredictable
It is easy to overlook sugar in a restaurant kitchen. It dissolves into a cup of tea and sometimes helps a dessert achieve the right texture and finish. But in the city’s restaurants and dessert kitchens, the ingredient is becoming harder to take for granted with some reporting inconsistent supplies and sharply rising procurement costs. The situation has also brought renewed attention to the relationship between sugar and ethanol. Produced by fermenting sugars in sugarcane juice, syrup and molasses, it is blended with petrol to reduce crude oil imports. Whether this is responsible for the squeeze, however, is contested.
Founder and head chef Niharika Peri of Eatinn’ Love Trattoria, Jayanagar, has not seen a major disruption but the restaurant, which uses brown sugar instead of refined sugar, is keeping a close eye on availability. “We are checking availability with suppliers earlier and keeping a buffer rather than waiting until stocks are almost over. However, we don’t want to unnecessarily stock large quantities,” Peri says, sharing that the process is more about planning ahead and keeping alternative suppliers accessible.
Infinitea’s owner, tea master and chef Gaurav Saria says the biggest challenge is not the price. “Availability from regular suppliers has become inconsistent. The biggest difficulty is the unpredictability. When you run an in-house bakehouse everyday, producing breads, cakes and confections, you cannot plan around a supply chain that changes week to week. It forces you to tie up cash in stock you would rather not be holding. That said, we have always offered a strong range of sugar-free options, so we are better insulated than most,” he shares.