LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Inflation is taking a toll on our small local businesses. The cost for some foods has gone up significantly and it has made it more difficult to make some traditional holiday meals.
To afford the cost to make some of these foods, business owners have had to raise their prices to keep their business afloat.
Making tamales on Christmas Eve is a holiday tradition for many Hispanics, but these prices are taking a major toll on a small local business owner.
Angelica Estrada is the owner of Angelica's Delicious Tamales and she says she has had to double the price for her tamales in order to afford to make them.
“I’m being really honest with you it is hard as a small business, yes we are currently in our prime, but we still have to do deal with the price gauging right now,” explained Estrada.
The cost of vegetables is almost as expensive as the cost of meat right now. She says pork and chicken have doubled in price, but the price for beef has gone through the roof.
In comparison to this time last year, she says the cost has gone up by nearly three times as much.
“There is a huge demand for this, but unfortunately a lot of people can’t make it their business because they can’t afford to pay all the overhead cost and as a small business it does add up and right now, I do everything myself with my partner,” Estrada said.
“I could hire one more person, but it would be tight, so I rather do all that work and invest that money.”
Estrada says when she first started her business in the middle of the pandemic last year, her tamales were $20 for a dozen, which is about $1.60 per tamale. To keep up with the rise in cost, she is charging $20 for six tamales, Which comes out to being about $3.30.
