How Much Did You Pay For A Pound Of Matzah

[avromie7]

Only one of those ten hands is rolling it..

It's actually 2.

Aside from the fact that someone who can roll that thin is paid more, once it reaches the end of the rolling table you get half the production with the same amount of manpower. The guy cutting and distributing the dough, the holes, carrying it to the oven, and removing it from the oven all take the same amount of manpower per matzah regardless of weight.

[moko]

It's actually 2.

Aside from the fact that someone who can roll that thin is paid more, once it reaches the end of the rolling table you get half the production with the same amount of manpower. The guy cutting and distributing the dough, the holes, carrying it to the oven, and removing it from the oven all take the same amount of manpower per matzah regardless of weight.

in many bakeries there are approx 5 rollers for every matza.
Water
Flour
Initial mixer/kneader (in some bakeries he also adds the flour)
(Some bakeries have further kneading)
Divider
Rolling (can be as many as 5 stages
Carry to the redder
Redler
Carry to the oven
Oven
To the packing room
Weighing and packing
 So it's common for every matza to have 10-15 people directly involved
This doesn't account for all the peripheral labor

[avromie7]

in many bakeries there are approx 5 rollers for every matza.
Water
Flour
Initial mixer/kneader (in some bakeries he also adds the flour)
(Some bakeries have further kneading)
Divider
Rolling (can be as many as 5 stages
Carry to the redder
Redler
Carry to the oven
Oven
To the packing room
Weighing and packing
 So it's common for every matza to have 10-15 people directly involved
This doesn't account for all the peripheral labor

There were 2 discussions here. Regarding how much of the cost is labor, it clearly accounts for most of the cost.

How much more labor is there to make them thinner? Pretty much everything after the kneading, the labor is per piece, not per pound.

[Yo ssi]

There were 2 discussions here. Regarding how much of the cost is labor, it clearly accounts for most of the cost.

How much more labor is there to make them thinner? Pretty much everything after the kneading, the labor is per piece, not per pound.

The question isn't how much of the cost is labor, if it was you'd perhaps be right. The question is how much percent of the cost is for the person rolling (that's the only thing that matters to make it thinner)

[avromie7]

The question isn't how much of the cost is labor, if it was you'd perhaps be right. The question is how much percent of the cost is for the person rolling (that's the only thing that matters to make it thinner)

It is.

What is labor, 10% of the production cost?

As I said here, the cost to make them thinner includes the cost of everything that is per piece and not per pound. While it doesn't matter the guy kneading how many matzos are produced from 1 batch, it doesn't matter to the guy carrying the matzos to the oven how much they weigh. He carries the same number of matzos to the oven every hour.

There were 2 discussions here. Regarding how much of the cost is labor, it clearly accounts for most of the cost.

How much more labor is there to make them thinner? Pretty much everything after the kneading, the labor is per piece, not per pound.

[Yo ssi]

It is.
As I said here, the cost to make them thinner includes the cost of everything that is per piece and not per pound. While it doesn't matter the guy kneading how many matzos are produced from 1 batch, it doesn't matter to the guy carrying the matzos to the oven how much they weigh. He carries the same number of matzos to the oven every hour.

I would assume the matsos rolled thin are the same weight just better rolled

[EliJelly]

How does the Ukraine situation play into Matzah pricing this year? The Ukrainian stuff is bottom of the barrel, but any supply shortages at the bottom will drive pricing up across the board.

I'd guess that the bakeries have procured all their supply needed for this year already.

[avromie7]

I would assume the matsos rolled thin are the same weight just better rolled

Definitely not. The thinner they are the more matzos there are in a pound. Most matzos are around 7-8 per pound, there are some thick ones that are 6 and thinner ones that are 9. Then there's chareidim at 10 per pound.

[latke]

Chareidim are $62 a pound this year (2022), up from $55!  Our family is finally making a clean break.  All costs have gone up, but this has become prohibitively expensive, particularly as a box does not even weigh a pound.  We will chew a little more this year. 

Wanted to correct last year's price- was $54, not $55 as I indicated.  15% increase!

Also, have weighed the chareidim previously and my 1 pound box was 12 ounces.  They clearly indicate on the box that it does not go by weight, but still...most other companies give the actual weight or more.

Also, getting only one box $62 of chareidim for 2 seder nights is extremely risky, due to the thinness.  You'd need 6 intact pieces, which is cutting it close. 

[yungermanchik]

Only one of those ten hands is rolling it..

The maschilim, the gomrim, the guys who transfer to the reidlers, the reidlers, and the oven guys, and bodkim are all doing double the amount of work per pound.

[Moshe Green]

Ukrainian's making matzo:

https://www.jdn.co.il/j_world/1701055/

[whYME]

it doesn't matter to the guy carrying the matzos to the oven how much they weigh. He carries the same number of matzos to the oven every hour.

I imagine the number he's carrying depends at least somewhat on the oven capacity. The thinner ones should be baking quicker than thick ones.

[avromie7]

I imagine the number he's carrying depends at least somewhat on the oven capacity. The thinner ones should be baking quicker than thick ones.

It's limited by how quickly the oven guy can work.

[moko]

It's limited by how quickly the oven guy can work.

the joys of bringing the matza to the oven only to have knocked to the floor because he's not ready to put in the oven

[AsherO]

I imagine the number he's carrying depends at least somewhat on the oven capacity. The thinner ones should be baking quicker than thick ones.

It’s more complicated than that, thinner matzos (that weigh less) bake much quicker, but that likely also means it’s a trickier bake as they also burn quicker (less room for failure).

[Alexsei]

OT, does anyone know the average diameter of the heimish matzos? What's the biggest one you've seen?

[moko]

OT, does anyone know the average diameter of the heimish matzos? What's the biggest one you've seen?

don't recall the brand but last year bingo was selling a 2lb box that was the same height as the 1lb box but with much larger matzos

[thaber]

looking for the thinnest crispiest matzos and how o get them to LA. Someone here was doing a Chareidim special order, $50 a pound, for extra thin. I don't think they did it this year, if they did I wasn't told. Is chareidim the best? do they have a website? (tongue is in cheek)


ETA: follow up question - anyone have experience with the satmar extra thin? and yes! they have a website https://www.satmarmatzahbakery.com/

[MeirS]

Paid around $18/lb at Costco

[BarryLincoln]

Paid $15.49/lb at Costco but you get what you pay for.  I figure if I buy some thinner matzos, I can average cost to $22-25/lb which isn't terrible...