02/02/2026
Something I need to learn.
Okā¦.. Ms. Nikki, Nicole has asked me about pricing strawberries for her Valentine day menu and I explained to her just like I do with everyone else. I DO NOT LIKE GIVING PRICING ADVICE in messages and comments. So I was asked would $25 be reasonable for 1 dozen strawberries? She wanted me to give her some advice so I decided to share with you all and sheās OK with it.
So hereās some real advice I want you to carry with you as we go into this holiday season, and yes, Valentineās Day is a holiday for us, bakers, and treat makersšš„°
So let ļæ¼me talk to my bakers and treat makers as we go into this holiday season, because this is very important.
As Nikki is preparing her Valentine Day Menu I also see a lot of people gearing up to sell chocolate covered strawberries, and one of the biggest mistakes I see every single year is undervaluing this product. Selling a dozen strawberries for $25 is not profitable, no matter how many orders you sell, and I want to break down why so you can understand this from a business standpoint not emotionally one.
Letās talk about what it actually costs to make one dozen basic strawberries. Iām not talking about custom work, no specialty designs, no lettering just one color dipped strawberries with a drizzle.
First, your strawberries. A 2-pound container from Walmart is about $8.23. That container usually gives you about 12 to 14 āUSEABLEā strawberries, but realistically, once you remove bruised or damaged ones, youāre getting one dozen, so sometimes you have to buy two packs a strawberries just to make sure youāre getting a good dozen out of them both because you want all your strawberries to come out at least being the same size or around the same size.
Now letās talk chocolate. If youāre using Merckens, a 1-pound bag runs about $6.99. If youāre using almond bark, itās cheaper at about $4.24, but either way, chocolate is a cost you cannot ignore.
Next is food coloring. Most gel colors cost anywhere between $8ā$9 per bottle. Even though youāre not using the whole bottle at once, it is still a business expense. When broken down per dozen, you are easily using $1 to $1.50 worth of product.
Now letās talk packaging, because strawberries cannot be sold without it. Your box, liner, cup, drizzle bag, gloves, and presentation materials easily start at $5 per dozen if you are not buying wholesale.
So letās add this up.
Using Merckens chocolate, your cost looks like this:
ā¢ Strawberries: $8.23
ā¢ Chocolate: $6.99
ā¢ Food coloring (portion): $1.25
ā¢ Packaging: $5.00
That brings your total cost to $21.47 to make one dozen strawberries.
If you sell that dozen for $25, your profit is $3.53.
And that does not include:
ā¢ Your time
ā¢ Washing and drying strawberries
ā¢ Prepping chocolate
ā¢ Dipping
ā¢ Drizzling
ā¢ Cleanup
ā¢ Electricity
ā¢ Gas
ā¢ Tools
ā¢ Wear and tear
ā¢ Business fees
That is not profit. That is barely breaking even.
Even if you use almond bark, your numbers still donāt make sense:
ā¢ Strawberries: $8.23
ā¢ Chocolate: $4.24
ā¢ Food coloring: $1.25
ā¢ Packaging: $5.00
That totals $18.72, giving you $6.28 profit at $25 and again, thatās before labor and overhead.
Let me say this clearly selling more does not fix bad pricing. Selling 50 or 100 dozens at $25 does not suddenly make it profitable. It just means you are working harder for very little return. Being busy does not mean you are making money.
This is why so many treat makers feel exhausted during the holidays but still struggle financially afterward.
Holiday seasons should be your most profitable time, not the time you work the hardest for the least amount of money. This is why I teach quality over quantity and why I always tell my students to know your numbers before setting prices.
Your strawberries are not just fruit and chocolate. They are your skill, your time, your experience, your cleanup, your supplies, and your business knowledge. If your pricing does not reflect that, you are undervaluing your work.
Please remember this cheap prices attract volume, not sustainability. Profitable prices attract longevity.
As we move into this holiday season, price smart, price with confidence, and stop pricing based on what you see online. Run your treat business like a business.
You also need to be honest with yourself about your capacity. If you are making dozens and dozens of strawberries, that is repetitive labor. Your hands, your body, and your time matter. If your pricing does not account for that, you are exchanging your health and energy for pennies. That is not businessā¦,that is survival mode.
I also want you to stop separating skill from business sense. Yes, you love baking. Yes, you enjoy creating. But once money is exchanged, this is no longer just passionā¦.it is business. Businesses must be priced with structure, intention, and logic. Learn YOUR market!
So as you prepare your menus, your order forms, and your schedules, I want you to pause and ask yourself this question
āDoes this price respect my time, my skill, and my business?ā
Being booked is nice but being profitable is better.
PART 1. Check the next post for more breakdown info.
