GREAT FALLS — Food prices are expected to go up 3.4% in 2025, according to the USDA. This increase in food prices is relatively common and not much cause for concern for Great Falls businesses.
Nobody likes having to pay more for things. But for 2J’s Fresh Market owner Michael Vetere, he is actually optimistic about this year’s price increases.
Vetere said, “I would say this is probably more typical back, you know, pre-COVID.”
Vetere found that 2J’s prices are up 3.3% compared to last year, which is right in line with the USDA’s national findings, although he doesn’t use them for comparison.
Vetere said, “I kind of try to pay more attention in the local terms,”
This means word of mouth from farmers, other business owners, and the like. Vetere says even among uncertainty, he thinks the numbers will stay stable.
Vetere said, “It's hard to say. The tariff word has been flying around quite a lot lately, but nothing seems to me really concrete.”
Price increases are also happening in other food areas, as 5th and Wine’s owner Tara Tronson-Strunk has seen.
Tronson-Strunk said, “We see increases every year in beer and wine for not only the retail but restaurant aspect of our business.”
Tronson-Strunk says the increase is minimal, but does say that weather can have an effect. She expects prices for wines from areas of California to increase in price due to the devastating fires from the past few months.
Tronson-Strunk said, “Wine is only made once a year. So when they lose that, they have to make up that money somehow.”
For Tronson-Strunk, it is all about adapting to the current environment, which can be seen from their nonalcoholic options for the increasing number of people looking to stay sober.
Tronson-Strunk said, “We've increased our inventory in those areas, but we also have created at the restaurant here a sober sips menu.”
With trade wars and potential tariffs on the horizon, it's a waiting game to see what happens, but as of now there is not much concern among local businesses.
