“The year before we were paying anywhere from $90 for a bag of husk, and now we’re paying $130 for a bag of husk,” Rosemary Benavides at Granny’s Tamales said.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — As the holiday season approaches and families across South Texas prepare for their traditional Thanksgiving and Christmas tamales orders, local businesses say they’re feeling the strain of sharply rising ingredient costs.

Even on rainy days, loyal customers continue showing up to secure their favorite tamales. But behind the counter, longtime family-run businesses are preparing for one of their most expensive seasons yet.

At Granny’s Tamales, sisters Rosemary Benavides and Anita Hernandez, two of ten siblings continuing their mother’s legacy, say they’ve been planning for months.

“We’ve been preparing for a couple of months now, you know, since October,” Hernandez said.

Prices for key tamales ingredients, especially those imported from Mexico, have jumped significantly.

“The year before we were paying anywhere from $90 for a bag of husk, and now we’re paying $130 a bag of husk,” Benavides said.

The increase extends beyond just husks.

“I used to get it for 14 to $15 for two foils and it went up to uh $22,” Benavides said.

Hernandez said the rising costs stack up as products make the journey to local shops. 

“It has been difficult for us, because we do have all of them are imported from Mexico and the prices just keep on going up, you know. The brokers from the border all the way up you know, to the time they get to our stores,” Hernandez said.

Across town, another family business with ten siblings is facing the same challenge. At Huerta’s Tamales, owner Jose Huerta said his shop started as a part-time operation more than 30 years ago, but this season he’s also dealing with sharp price increases.

“I tell you, when we first started working here, a pack of husks would cost us 99 cents. Now the pack costs $10 dollars… and then sometimes they don’t have any. Everything, the meat, all of the ingredients have gone up. All of them,” Huerta said.

Huerta said he even travels out of town to find better deals when possible.

“The corn I buy over by San Antonio. If I buy it here, here it’d be around $20 dollars and over there I get it for cheaper,” Huerta said.

To help keep tamales affordable for families, Huerta said his family are finding ways to front some of the costs.

“What does that mean? That we also have to, not increase prices too much, but a little bit,” Huerta said.

Despite the financial pressure, and the rainy weather, both businesses say they’re determined to help keep the holiday tamales tradition alive in South Texas.

“Just try to make it like I said, you know, at a rate that a person can come in and enjoy the holidays and continue to enjoy the tamale tradition,” Hernandez said.