Despite Rising Costs, Demand for Hand-Made Shmurah Matzoh Continues to Rise

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matzoh-harvestThe buzz in the kosher food industry is that there will be some price increases for many items, particularly those affected by significantly higher commodity prices. But even if there is some uncertainty whether such price increases will be applied across the board, one thing is for certain – the cost of handmade Shmurah Matzoh continues to rise.

Shmurah refers to matzah made from wheat which is guarded from the time that it is harveste. Due to the seriousness of avoiding any chametz on Pesach, shmurah matzah is meticulously safeguarded to make sure it does not come in contact with water. The wheat is reaped before the sheaves have completely dried out, the kernels are carefully examined to make sure that there are no grains which have split or that are sprouting, and the harvest is carefully supervised to make sure that it does not become damp until it is ground into flour. Because of the painstaking process of producing shmurah matzah, price per pound remains extremely high, hovering around the $23 lb. mark, and is rising each year. The price of $14 of just a few years ago is but a distant memory.

Tzvi Davidowitz of LakewoodMatzoh.com, a site that markets all-inclusive lines of handmade wheat, gluten free oat, and organic spelt shmurah matzah, maintains that hand-made matzah prices are rising primarily because of manual labor. “It is getting more and more difficult to find people interested in working at this profession,” he remarked. “There was a time when European and Russian immigrants provided an abundance of labor- now, that work force is almost non-existent. In addition, prices of commodities such as wheat have increased tremendously over the past 5 years.”

Does this mean demand for shmurah matzah has been dropping? No, says Feige Bensimon of MatzahOnline.com. Mirroring recent trends in the kosher market, Bensimon sees increases in sales of the healthier grain matzah. They’ve also been selling more to army bases, hotels, shuls, and prisons around the world- places that up until a few years ago, may have not even considered purchasing shmurah matzah.

“Although prices are rising every year, I see tremendous growth. Shmurah matzah isn’t just for the Chareidi communities anymore. Jews all over the world are looking for authentic matzah for their seder.” Despite rising costs, people are as anxious as ever to fulfill the commandment of eating the hand-made matzah on Pesach.

Source: KOSHER TODAY.COM

{Matzav.com Newscenter}


5 COMMENTS

  1. Exactly! These theiving crooks will find any crazy excuse to raise prices on Hand Matzao’s! They know they have us over the barrel! Too bad we don’t start a boycott and teach these thugs a lesson!

  2. I don’t fargin them their business, but there is another way. Just as matzo baking was commercialized, it can be de-commercialized. If you read the halacha and the shu”t you will see it is written for the home baker, and you will find authorities that bemoaned the advent of matza baking businesses. With simple equipment, matzo can be made in the kitchen, or garage or backyard. Imagine the hiddur of matzos made one at a time. I must admit that grinding grain is no small task, but just as grain can be had in any area with multiple bakeries, flour can be had as well. Do your homework, read the halachos, and do your own matzos.

  3. bad boy, I would not prepare hand-made matza for 100$ per lb. Of course assuming we are making the matza kosher le-pesach (I did not say shmura matza, I said kosher) and taking for granted we are doing properly and being careful about it. If it’s about small children wanting matza at some odd time of the year, that’s completely different, that’s a pleasure to accommodate.
    Simple equipment! You have a well in your backyard, which according to tradition is useable for matza and which you secure properly, and a (kosher le-pesach) barrel to rest the water? How awesome, please call me if you ever decide to sell your home. I’ll need a rabbi’s letter to confirm about your well, though. Someone who thinks it’s “SIMPLE” to make homemade matza for Pesach, obviously has never done.

  4. I have another great idea, If hand matzoh is to expensive why dont you use machine matzoh?!
    Many great Rabonim ate these matzohs and even recommend it to people that feel the price of hand matzoh is too expensive.

  5. There is also a solution to the labor issue. Hand matzo is not divorced from technology and we are not Amish. A simple setup was featured some time ago in the Jewish media. It showed a small hand crank roller with plastic pins that turns our a perfect round matzo. It gets perforated on a side table and then fed through a link plate oven coming out the other end as normal matzo. The roller popped apart in seconds for cleaning.

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