National data shows egg prices soared 38% in the last year and Twin Cities businesses are doing their best to adapt to the price hike.

Experts said the cause of the price jump comes down to the law of supply and demand. Bird flu is leading to an egg shortage, but demand is still high.

Businesses that depend on eggs are doing their best to deal with the extra costs.

At the end of every recipe, Tesh Belayneh finds a sweet spot.

“A bridge in the community to bring people together,” said Teshome “Tesh” Belayneh, owner of Rebecca’s Bakery & Café owner.

Belayneh is from Ethiopia but lived in Italy.

Those cultures blended together to make Rebecca’s Bakery & Cafe in Minneapolis.

“The customers enjoy the product; that’s the most rewarding thing,” Belayneh said. “This business is tough but rewarding.”

Italian cookies, pastries and cakes line the bakery and there’s one key ingredient that makes them whole — eggs.

With the short supply of eggs, Belayneh explained the bakery is losing money.

“The price is more than double,” he said. “That’s a struggle for small businesses like us.”

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows egg prices rose about 38% in the last year.

“In 2024, we had the avian flu. It went through the flocks of many, many chickens and affected many, many farmers. So it’s not a Minnesota thing, it’s a nationwide thing,” Dave Vang, University of St. Thomas professor, said.

He said consumers will not only see a price jump on eggs, but also products that contain them.

“Eggs are kind of like fuel. They’re in so many different ingredients of the things we eat that when the price of eggs goes up, it does affect lots of other food that we eat,” Vang said.

Rebecca’s Bakery & Cafe plans to eat the cost, so the customers don’t have to.

“For now, we decided to stick with the current price and do the best that we can,” Belayneh said.

Experts said this supply chain disruption could last until the middle of this year.