Meet the Producer – Artisan Biscuits

GR – Artisan Biscuits was started over 100 years ago. Who was the original founder of the business and what ignited their passion to set up the bakery?

Artisan Biscuits – The original owners were a branch of the Spencer family, still a well-known name around these parts. Mother Spencer opened what would now be called a micro-bakery making bread and cakes and so on, down a small courtyard, tucked away behind a bustling market street in Ashbourne, in the Derbyshire Dales on the edge of the Peak District.

It was called the ‘Green Dragon Bakery’, a nod to the name of the historic inn that had occupied the same spot as far back as 1605, which was thought to have once hosted the crusaders of King Richard the Lionheart. And its purpose? To feed the people of the town and the surrounding countryside – and by extension her own family.

Image Courtesy of Artisan Biscuits

GR – Over 100 years ago is a long time, and technology in particular has changed dramatically since then. Has this changed the way in which you produce your products, or have you maintained the use of more traditional production methods? 

Artisan Biscuits – We re-named our bakery Artisan Biscuits, because Artisan, Artisanal, Artigianale, Artesano and so on across the world all mean ‘made with skill and care from quality ingredients’. We gave it this name this because those are the values in  our bakery…and those values have not changed in living memory. We still generously heap the best natural ingredients: British flour and butter, freshly grated or crumbled cheese, real fruit and fruit juices – and no additives or preservatives of course. We still sift, weigh, mix, and work our dough the old-fashioned way. And we still use baking methods and bronze rollers we have for decades.

Technology may have changed, but we have a saying here: The more things change, the more they remain the same.

Images Courtesy of Artisan Biscuits

GR – You have a range of products that are branded under the name ‘Millers’. Does the name ‘Miller’ hold particular meaning for the business?

Artisan Biscuits – Around a quarter of a century ago, we had just one brand. It was called Miller’s Damsel and it derived from a range of crackers made by us with a flour from the Isle of Wight. So, the word Miller has been long-term in our business. It refers specifically to a person who works in a flour mill but it has associations for English-speakers of the countryside and those timeless values of goodness and tranquillity, and so on. For those whose English is limited, it is assumed to be the name of the family who make our products, with all of those ‘home-made’ evocations.

GR – You have both an export and food service division. How many countries around the world sell Artisan Biscuits and what plans to you have for the future of the business?

Artisan Biscuits – In part, it depends on how you define a country, but close to 70 and growing. Our latest? Guatemala. Our future? We have a mission:

• To be an admired global company:
  • renowned for the quality of our brands, products and service
  • acclaimed by the discerning.

GR – Do you ever collaborate with other manufacturers to create unique products? If so, can you tell us about the criteria you use when deciding which manufacturers to work with?

Artisan Biscuits – So far, we have used freshly grated and crumbled cheese directly from producers we know personally and trust – Ford Farm Cheesemakers and Cropwell Bishop Stilton – to make Grate Britain sables and crackers. And Taylor’s of Harrogate worked alongside us to develop the biscuit and tea pairings for our Elegant & English range.

But we are always open to suggestions.

GR – What makes Artisan Biscuits different to other similar products on the market and why should people buy them?

Artisan Biscuits – They are not similar. They are of unsurpassed quality, anywhere in the world.