In 2002, Chaya Conrad, a then Whole foods The New Orleans bakery team leader created a cake inspired by her grandmother. The fluffy yellow cake is layered with a cream made of mascarpone and cream cheese and folded with berries. Over the past 22 years, the Berry Chantilly Cake has become a wedding staple and has earned a long list of fans – up to last month.
On September 20, TikToks calling the cake a “victim of shrinkage” surfaced after the company changed its cake slices, including adding a layer of jam, putting fresh fruit on the side and making a smaller product. They quickly went viral.
@culturework @Whole Foods Market my last little joy in this world and you accepted it. Fix it or I'm calling the health inspector in silverlake ????#fyp ♬ original sound – cultural work
Users said that the only way to buy the original cake is to buy it whole.
@mylegalera criminal behavior that destroys my behavior like this? #wholefoods #food #cake #dessert #grocery shopping #storytime chantilly berry cake whole foods @Whole Foods Market ♬ original sound – lisa | lifestyle law ⚖️
A few days later, a spokesman for Whole Foods Market, Nathan Cimbala, said in an emailed statement to New York Times that the company had “aligned the flavor profile, size, packaging and price” to make the slices of cake standard across all stores so that users “have the same high-quality experience” no matter where they shop . (Whole foods have more than 500 stores.)
But complaints (and bad press) kept coming. A week later, the company reversed course.
“Based on feedback from our customers, we will be reintroducing single slices of Berry Chantilly cake that are the same as the classic that our customers know and love,” Cimbala wrote in a follow-up statement.
Chaya Conrad, owner of Bywater Bakery in New Orleans, Louisiana, works on a Berry Chantilly cake on June 5, 2023. (Photo by C. Ross for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Customers are rejoicing and “their feedback was clear,” Whole Foods told Axio.
Meanwhile, Conrad now runs Bywater Bakerywhich opened in New Orleans in 2017. And yes, its famous cake is for sale.
What is 'Skimpflation'?
“Skimflation” is defined as “businesses that 'save' on the quality of a product or service”, for Scott A. Wollaan economic education officer at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. And while the goal is to save money, it can affect your reputation.
or STUDY from the institution found that businesses “take a risk when changing a formula to use cheaper ingredients” because customers may “stop buying the product”.