10 how much should i charge for a dozen macarons Ideas

Calculate how much a homemade macaron costs to make and figure out how much to charge in your home baking business. This posts lists different ways to cut down on production costs and bring more value to your customers without discounting.

How to price homemade macarons is a question some of you who have been making macarons for a while now have probably thought about. This may be especially true after receiving admiration and requests to buy your macarons from those who have seen your work at group gatherings and family events.

In this guide, I incorporate what I learned from my post-secondary studies in business with what I experienced baking batches upon batches of great and sometimes not so great macarons in my home kitchen. I will provide you with a worksheet to calculate how much macarons cost to produce (accounting for those not too great batches too), describe the difference between variable and fixed costs and what that means to your bottom line, give you ideas on how to provide more value as a small baking business, go above and beyond without discounting, determine what your time costs and ultimately set a price for your macarons in a way that offers your customers value while getting paid fairly yourself.

Why Are Macarons So Expensive?

Macarons are more expensive than the average sweet treat because of the costly ingredients and the time and expertise involved in making it. Almond flour and egg whites are the two main ingredients that make up a macaron. In relation to other flours, almond flour is several times more expensive. As for eggs, they are used in a variety of other baked goods but being that eggs make up a big part of the macaron (the egg yolk is not used), the costs do add up. In addition, the filling sandwiched in between the macaron cookies requires other costly ingredients like chocolate and sometimes exotic flavorings.

Besides the actual cost for the ingredients, a high level of expertise is required in making a macaron. Not every pastry chef hired in a regular bakery is trained to make this specialized treat. Even with a high level of training, there is always a chance that the notoriously hard-to-master macarons do not bake well. Special care and time has to be taken to make them and the costs of failed batches have to be accounted for in the overall production. For all the reasons given above, macarons, relative to its size, are usually priced higher than other pastries like cakes or ice cream.

How Much Do Macarons Sell For?

Average sized (1.5″) macarons usually sell for $1.50 to $3 (+) depending on a variety of factors like brand, ingredients used and the general market condition in the region where it is purchased.

In my hometown of Vancouver, Canada, we have a very sophisticated culinary scene. The best macarons are usually sold in dedicated macaron shops as opposed to a bakery that sells macarons as an add-on item. We even have Laduree in the city and their macarons sell for $3+ each. Generally speaking, macarons from dedicated macaron shops sell for around $2 – $2.75. I find that non-specialized makers usually charge under $2. Costco even sells large boxes of them in bulk that equals to around $0.44 each.

I asked around and here is a sample of average macaron prices according to my readers in these different cities:

$2.50	Portland, Oregon
$2	Minneapolis
$2	North Suhswap
$2	Seattle, WA
$2.50-$3	Austin, Texas
$2.50	Orlando, Florida
$2.50	Orange County, CA
$24 per dozen	Sacramento, CA
$4-$5	Fresno, California
$2.75-$3.5	NYC, NY
$2.5	Salt Lake City, Utah
$3	Charlotte, NC
$2.50	San Francisco, CA
$2-$2.50	Atlanta, Georgia
$2.08	San Antonio, Texas
$3-$4 CDN	Toronto, Canada
$2.5 CDN	Winnipeg, Canada
$2.5 CDN	Calgary, Canada
$2 CDN	Brantford, Canada
$2.50-$3	Melbourne Australia
$4	Brisbane Australia
40dhms for 1 dozen	Dubai
.90-1.3 Euro	Brescia
4-5 PLN	Wroclaw, Poland
$7	Barbados Bridgetown
$1	Lima, Peru
$2.50 USD	Taiwan
$8.06	Vietnam
$3-$6	Abu Dhabi

How Much Does it Cost to Make a Macaron?

For the home baker, approximately $0.30 CDN or $0.22 USD each. The actual cost (we’re only talking about ingredients at this point) to make a macaron depends largely on the types of ingredients used and how much they cost the maker to procure. Bigger buyers will usually get better bulk pricing but since this post is written for the home baker, let’s talk about prices that are accessible to this group. Below is the calculation for a dozen macarons with a basic chocolate filling. I am assuming that the almond flour is made at home to cut down on costs and all the items are purchased in bulk at big boxed stores like Costco, Superstore, Wal-mart etc. that are open to regular consumers (READ: How to Make Your Own Almond Flour)

Cost To Make a Dozen Macarons with Filling (ingredients only)
Almond flour $1.30 CDN = $0.96 USD
Eggs $.50 CDN = $0.37 USD
Sugar powdered = $0.20 CDN = $0.15 USD
Sugar granulated = $0.10 CDN = $0.07 USD
Cream of tartar = $.03 CDN = $0.02 USD
Couverture Chocolate = $1.30 CDN = $0.96 USD
Cream = $0.36 CDN = $0.27 USD
Total = $3.79 CDN/DOZEN = $2.80 USD/DOZEN
This works out to be $0.32 CDN each = $0.23 USD

Other Costs

Now that we have established the cost to make a macaron based on the ingredients alone, it’s important to factor in other costs such as overhead, breakages, packaging, delivery and your time.

Overhead (Fixed Cost)

Damages (Variable cost)

While no customer should be “paying” you for the macarons that don’t turn out and cannot be sold, this is something you will have to factor into your quotes for your clients. It goes without saying that you shouldn’t be adding this as an itemized line in an invoice, but just be aware that mistakes do happen and you shouldn’t be quoting such lean prices that when mistakes happen, you end up working at a loss.

Packaging (Variable Cost)

Packaging will increase the cost for the finished macaron product so it’s important to consider how much to spend in this area. Most boxes usually hold about 6 macarons, even the plain ones cost around $1 per box and a dozen macarons cost around $3.79 to make, that’s a big relative cost. If you have a bigger order that requires only 1 individual box, this will help cut down on the packaging costs. Here are some options for macaron boxes in the $1 – $1.60 price range: Simple 6 pc macaron box , 12 pc macaron box, 6 pc macaron box with protective separator.

Delivery (Variable Cost)

For those who are paying rent to sell at a fair or market, your rent is a clear overhead item on your income statement. In contrast, those baking from home should account for the time and possibly gas/public transportation costs involved in making a delivery or meetup with a client. Delivery or meetups should not be offered free unless you’ve built it into the quoted price. Remember, every moment you are not in your kitchen baking, it is costing you money. You can choose a flat rate delivery fee or offer free delivery after a certain purchase amount.

To further protect your precious time doing a task that only you are trained to do – baking macarons – you can consider delegating your friends or family members to take care of the deliveries or any other related task on your behalf. (Pay them or repay them with another favor, of course.)

Communication

This usually reveals itself as a hidden cost when dealing with special orders. It is only fair that your customers will have a lot of questions for you but the time you spend on emailing/calling back and forth to confirm delivery dates, order details, project changes etc, can drag down your efficiency. Make sure you have a clear project outline and terms and conditions page that you send to your clients from the beginning to minimize the time spent on frequently asked questions.

Frequently Asked Questions From Clients
– What are your prices?
– Is there a minimum order?
– Are there discounts on large orders?
– What colors can you do?
– What flavors do you offer?
– What type of designs can you do?
– Where is your portfolio of past work?
– What type of packaging do you offer?
– Do you have testimonials/references?
– When will my order be completed?
– What about delivery fees?
– Where are you willing to deliver to?
– When will you deliver?
– Set up fees/use of display units
– Cancellation policies
– Project change fees
– Deposits

Your Time (Variable Cost)

Finally, account for your time. I know this might be hard for some people to put a price to. You will need to really think about how much your time is worth to you. In the beginning, some bakers are happy just to get back their costs and have a little bit extra. This is fine if you don’t intend to profit from macaron making, everyone has different goals. For those who want to consider macaron making a profitable endeavor, it’s important to get back fair return for your hard work.

So what is your time worth? I would say at the minimum, you should see yourself working at the same minimum wage/hour for your region. Otherwise, why not just find a job that would pay the same. Your customers should understand this concept as well. If they try to pay you any less, they are not really supporting your business. In time as your reputation and your skills grow, you should look to increase your price. (Of course, you can charge more from the beginning if you are able to provide more value than your competitors. More on that later.) Google bakery jobs in your area and see how much bakery jobs are worth, that is another way to help you fairly assess what your time is worth.

Don’t forget about opportunity costs as well. Every moment that you are doing one task it is taking you away from doing another. Really weigh out the opportunity cost of the macaron order. Is the few extra dollars worth taking that time away from spending it with those you love or working on another more worthwhile project? Even relaxing on the couch after a long week is good and much needed for your mind and body. That’s why setting the correct price for you macarons is so important. Learn to provide more value to your customers and make use of economies of scale so you can confidently charge those premium prices as early as possible.

Ways to Provide More Value than the Competition

First, it should be noted that regardless of how much you may want to charge for your macarons, the price you set should still be influenced by the market conditions in your local area. If there is already established players in your area who are offering macarons at a certain price, the price that is acceptable for your clients will be somewhere around what is currently being offered. Without big purchasing power and economies of scale, it will always be an uphill battle for small businesses to compete on price alone. That is why it is very important that you provide value that your clients cannot find elsewhere.

Cheap Prices Attract Cheap Clients

The takeaway from the last few paragraphs is to not undersell yourself. You should never try to make low price your value proposition. One of the most valuable mantras I found in one of my marketing textbooks was, “Cheap prices attract cheap clients.” Okay, I should make clear that there is nothing wrong with bargain shoppers. Everyone, including me, loves a good deal and a good customer should always be respected and cherished. However, extreme bargain shoppers should not be your customers.

Customers who put price ahead of everything else will always be on the lookout for the lowest price, making you easily replaceable in their eyes. They are unable to see how you bring value to them in the different ways I’ve outlined above.

At the end of the day, it may become demotivating for you to work for minimal monetary return while being underappreciated at the same time. Of course, this doesn’t apply to someone who appreciates you and your work, who are willing but unable to pay. Use your discretion. You can always make exceptions and adjust your pricing for customers with extenuating circumstances.

In general, avoid setting your prices too low or discounting too often. You don’t want to gain new customers only to lose them when you finally decide to increase your prices. Regardless of whether or not it’s fair, sometimes customers view price increases as a betrayal of their loyalty to your business. Try to set a price that will be sustainable for your business in the long run from the very beginning.

My Trusted Macaron Recipes:
– Basic Macaron Shells
– Basic Chocolate Ganache Using 3 Ingredients
– Basic White Chocolate Filling – Easy & Adaptable

So How Much Should I Charge for My Macarons?

First off, for those who are taking orders I can’t stress enough the importance of a minimum order. Don’t think so much of how much you should charge per macaron but how much you should charge per order and you will need to set a minimum amount for this. I once had a request for 5 macarons, each one bearing the resemblance of a different animated character. GASP! I know, all you macaron bakers out there must be in shock. The time it would take to prepare all the different colored batters to pipe 5 different characters requiring 5 different templates… it’s doable but more as a passion project. Making only five would take so long that the price would be unjustifiable to a customer.

The moral of the story is to set a minimum quantity per color, per flavour, per design, per order. Per color because each new color will require the creation of a “new” batter and this takes time. In addition, each new color/batter adds another element of “risk” to the success of the macaron’s development. Per flavour because it requires time and supplies (piping bags etc.) to create each new flavour. Per design because each new design requires a new template to be made. Per order because your time, supplies and ingredients should be accounted for. We’ll talk more about that below.

Minimum Charge For Your Time and Fixed Costs

I highly recommend setting up a minimum charge for each order. A retail store operation has the ability to spread out their fixed costs among many walk-in customers so they have the ability to sell macarons by piece. For a home operation, you will need to account for the minimum amount of ingredients (e.g. a dozen eggs, a package of almond flour) you’ll need to buy and the time you will need to invest to get an order started. If a customer requests a special flavor that you don’t already have the ingredients for, you will need to buy a minimum amount of it and you might not be able to break even let alone profit by making small quantities of that particular flavour. Let’s go over how economies of scale will help you.

Economies of Scale

It’s important to take advantage of economies of scale to help you recoup your costs and make a profit. Economies of scale is a term used in economics to describe the cost advantages that occur when the scale of the operation is increased. For example, variable costs (ex. ingredients) is directly linked to the production of each macaron and this cost per unit increases with every extra macaron you make. More macarons = more ingredients = more variable costs.

On the other hand, your fixed costs (ex. table rent, facebook ads) per unit decreases with each additional unit you make because you pay the same rent and marketing costs no matter how many macarons you make. These fixed costs can be spread among a larger quantity of macarons, resulting in each unit being less expensive to produce.

How to Set the Price for Homemade Macarons

To summarize, the price for your homemade macarons should:
– Have a minimum charge per order
– Will cover 100% of your variable expenses (ex. ingredients & packaging)
– Will cover some of your fixed expenses (ex. table rent, marketing). This percentage will depend on how many orders you make in your total operation and what retail price your local market will bear.
– Should ideally give you an hourly wage equal to at least the minimum wage in your local area. (You have to work at a realistic pace though).

Selling Macarons Without Taking Orders

We talked a lot about taking orders and setting up minimums but you can also consider making macarons in bulk and selling them after the fact to anyone who is interested. You can be more relaxed with the minimums in these situations if you have enough clients to disperse your fixed costs and the cost of your labor among. Making big batches of different flavours and freezing them until it will be delivered to clients will help you offer a variety of flavors and colors to your customers without having to set up minimum spend rules.

Last Minute Orders

We all know life happens and sometimes we can’t be as prepared as we’d like and we end up ordering things last minute. While it is easy for bakeries to keep baked goods in the store for last minute walk-in customers, home bakers don’t have the scale of operation to provide the same service. A lot of planning and communication has to happen for each order. Be very careful when taking last minute orders. Even if you are not particularly busy during that stretch of time, you’ll need to take into account that you’ll have less time to fix things if anything goes wrong or you might have to make special trips to the grocery store just to buy certain ingredients. And because it may be the only order at the time, you are not taking advantage of economies of scale. For these reasons, you should always consider charging extra for last minute orders, even if you feel like you have the “free” time to do it.

How Much Should I Charge Friends and Family?

I believe that in a majority of cases, the number one reason why your friends and family want to order baked goods from you is because they want to support you and your business. Already having a good rapport with you, making you easier to work with and appreciation of your talent probably ties for second. Notice how none of those top reasons are related to the price of your macarons. Therefore, I don’t think you need to worry so much about giving out discounts that hurt your bottom line.

For people you know well, you should always show extra special appreciation that they chose to support you and your business. This doesn’t always have to translate into discounts. You know your loved ones well so use your judgement. Your older aunt who has done well for herself in life won’t be expecting a discount from you (and may even be insulted) but she would probably really appreciate that extra dozen macarons in her favorite color that you whipped up just for her. Giving something extra on top of charging your regular prices will usually cost you less (due to economies of scale) and make more of a meaningful impact to the receiver.

If you do want to go the discount route for loved ones who would more appreciate it, make sure you have already set a discount level that you are comfortable with. Tell them, “This is my friends and family rate”, be it 10%, 20% etc. off your usual rate.

Working for “Exposure”

With the advent of social media, working for exposure has become a very common request from organizations big and small. While it may sound like a good exchange at first because you’re just starting out and relatively unknown, you really have to weigh how much you stand to gain from the experience. Smaller brands that ask for free goods usually have a smaller audience base so it might not turn out to be the amount of exposure you’re expecting while bigger brands… they really ought to have the spirit and budget to pay hardworking people for their services.

As long as you feel like you are gaining something in the process and won’t cost you too much in opportunity costs, it might be worth it. Sometimes you do need to give a little more in the beginning in order to put your brand out there but it shouldn’t become something you will resent doing.

Working with like-minded people from different industries in a collaborative project is a great way to work for exposure (ex. wedding photo shoot). You will build great connections, learn more about the local business community and perhaps make a new friend. Something like that sounds like a win to me. Additionally, making free goods for local charity events and non-profits are always a good idea even without the return of exposure. You can practice your skills and most importantly, do some good for your community.

• Author: indulgewithmimi.com

• Rating: 4⭐ (850981 rating)

• Highest Rate: 5⭐

• Lowest Rate: 2⭐

• Sumary: Calculate how much a homemade macaron costs to make and figure out how much to charge in your home baking business.

• Matching Result: Average sized (1.5″) macarons usually sell for $1.50 to $3 (+) depending on a variety of factors like brand, ingredients used and the general …

• Intro: How to Price Homemade Macarons Calculate how much a homemade macaron costs to make and figure out how much to charge in your home baking business. This posts lists different ways to cut down on production costs and bring more value to your customers without discounting. How to price homemade…

• Source: https://www.indulgewithmimi.com/how-to-price-homemade-macarons/

• Author: dailydelish.us

• Rating: 4⭐ (850981 rating)

• Highest Rate: 5⭐

• Lowest Rate: 2⭐

• Sumary: ..Advertisements.. CONTINUE READING BELOW How much does a dozen macarons cost? Most boxes usually hold about 6 macarons, even the plain ones cost around $1 per box and a dozen macarons cost around $3.79 to make, that’s a big relative cost. If you have a bigger…

• Matching Result: How much does an average macaron cost? … A single macaron costs about $0.18 to make at home, whereas a bakery version can set you back up to $4 per cookie. They …

• Intro: How much should I charge for a dozen macarons? ..Advertisements.. CONTINUE READING BELOW How much does a dozen macarons cost? Most boxes usually hold about 6 macarons, even the plain ones cost around $1 per box and a dozen macarons cost around $3.79 to make, that’s a big relative cost….

• Source: https://dailydelish.us/faq/how-much-should-i-charge-for-a-dozen-macarons/

• Author: dmcoffee.blog

• Rating: 4⭐ (850981 rating)

• Highest Rate: 5⭐

• Lowest Rate: 2⭐

• Sumary: Most boxes usually hold about 6 macarons, even the plain ones cost around $1 per box and a dozen macarons cost around $3.79 to make, that’s a big relative cost. If you have a bigger order that requires only 1 individual box, this will…

• Matching Result: A single macaron costs about $0.18 to make at home, whereas a bakery version can set you back up to $4 per cookie. They’re not difficult to make …

• Intro: How much is a dozen of macarons? – Dmcoffee.blog Most boxes usually hold about 6 macarons, even the plain ones cost around $1 per box and a dozen macarons cost around $3.79 to make, that’s a big relative cost. If you have a bigger order that requires only 1 individual…

• Source: https://dmcoffee.blog/how-much-is-a-dozen-of-macarons/

• Author: soireemacarons.com

• Rating: 4⭐ (850981 rating)

• Highest Rate: 5⭐

• Lowest Rate: 2⭐

• Sumary:

• Matching Result: Starting price $90 per 2 dozen // $3.75 each – Price varies on intricacy or additional designs within the order. Designs would include air brush, hand painted, …

• Intro: Products & Pricing — Soirée Macarons Traditional MacaronsMinimum of 3 dozen per order – 1 flavor and 1 color.Mini Size: 1 – 1.25” || Regular Size: 1.75 – 2”Mini 3 dozen: $90 // $2.50 each*Regular 3 dozen: $117 // $3.25 each**Additional flavors: for more than 1 flavor or color per…

• Source: https://www.soireemacarons.com/pricing

• Author: shariblogs.com

• Rating: 4⭐ (850981 rating)

• Highest Rate: 5⭐

• Lowest Rate: 2⭐

• Sumary: Macarons are a classic French pastry that is made from almond flour, sugar, and egg whites. They are often filled with buttercream, ganache, or jam, and come in a variety of colors and flavors. So, how much do these delicious pastries cost? The average price of a…

• Matching Result: Macarons typically cost between $1.50 and $3.00 each. A box of macarons usually contains between 6 and 12 macarons. Making traditional macarons …

• Intro: How Much Do Macarons Cost? Macarons are a classic French pastry that is made from almond flour, sugar, and egg whites. They are often filled with buttercream, ganache, or jam, and come in a variety of colors and flavors. So, how much do these delicious pastries cost? The average price…

• Source: https://shariblogs.com/how-much-do-macarons-cost/

• Author: shariblogs.com

• Rating: 4⭐ (850981 rating)

• Highest Rate: 5⭐

• Lowest Rate: 2⭐

• Sumary: Macarons are a type of French pastry that is made from almond flour, sugar, and egg whites. They are often flavored with fruit, chocolate, or other fillings. When it comes to pricing tour macarons,…

• Matching Result: A single macarons costs $0.18 for making at home, but a bakery version can cost up to $4. Each box typically holds about six macarons, with the …

• Intro: How To Price Your Tour Macarons Macarons are a type of French pastry that is made from almond flour, sugar, and egg whites. They are often flavored with fruit, chocolate, or other fillings. When it comes to pricing tour macarons, there are a few factors that you will need to…

• Source: https://shariblogs.com/how-to-price-your-tour-macarons/

• Author: threesnackateers.com

• Rating: 4⭐ (850981 rating)

• Highest Rate: 5⭐

• Lowest Rate: 2⭐

• Sumary: Why are macarons so expensive? Find out if these tasty treats are worth the splurge.

• Matching Result: These little morsels can cost you more than you might have expected for a box of desserts. In fact, a single macaron costs anywhere from $1.50 …

• Intro: Why Are Macarons So Expensive? • The Three SnackateersThis post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. See our disclosure policy. From posh, upscale bakeries in bustling cities to grocery stores and small mom-and-pop corner bakeries in small towns, macarons have taken the world…

• Source: https://threesnackateers.com/why-are-macarons-so-expensive/