What is it about artisan gingerbread bakeries that people are loving so much recently? Especially in the last few years, we’ve seen a huge surge in the number of customers opting for fresh baked goods from small, artisan bakeries over larger, mass-producing competitors. While we’ve noticed it first-hand as an artisan gingerbread bakery ourselves, this trend seems to be happening across the globe.
What is an artisan gingerbread bakery?
Before we look at why artisan gingerbread bakeries are growing in popularity, we should clarify what we mean by artisan. An artisan gingerbread bakery is a bakery that uses traditional methods of baking to create gingerbread that is handcrafted, simple, and delicious. Put simply, gingerbread baked from artisan bakeries has the added ingredient that mass-produced gingerbread will never have – a lot of TLC.
Why is artisan gingerbread so popular?
Artisan gingerbread is made with better ingredients
Since we all started baking our own sourdough in 2020, consumers have become far more conscious about the ingredients in their food. The demand for quality, wholesome baked goods with little to no preservatives or processed ingredients is high, and artisan gingerbread bakeries meet this demand by using locally sourced, quality ingredients and traditional baking techniques. Local ingredients and minimally processed ingredients are not something mass-produced gingerbread companies can offer.
Nowadays, people prefer to pay a little extra (not extravagantly extra, but a little) for handmade, small-batch gingerbread that tastes fresher, and is often better for you than the mass-produced alternative. The same applies to any baked goods you’ll find at artisan bakeries, like pastries, bread, or cakes. Fresher is always better!
Our gingerbread is handmade using 100% Australian honey and all Australian ingredients, and combined with our secret family recipe, there is no comparison for taste and quality available on the market.
People like to shop local
The other reason we find customers prefer to buy from artisan gingerbread bakeries is that many people like to shop local. By buying local, you’re directly supporting people in your community, rather than huge corporations. It also means you’re more likely to get gingerbread made with fresh, local ingredients.
Small, local artisan bakeries are often run by families (like us!) and it makes a big difference to the purchasing experience when you know who made your sweet treats. For example, knowing that Tiffany from Hosome mixed, kneaded, shaped, and iced your gingerbread by hand, rather than buying something that popped out of a mass-producing machine, makes buying local a far superior experience. You know your gingerbread is special, and a lot of care and expertise has gone into making it!
Preserving the tradition and craftsmanship
After 45 years in the business, we can say for certain that the preservation of our family recipe and the craftsmanship of our bakers is key to the success of our gingerbread. This art typically gets lost with large gingerbread producers, as quantity takes the place of quality, but at Hosome, we’ve continued the family legacy with gingerbread that is consistently chewy, perfectly spiced, and delicious. Customers see this too, and we think it’s a big reason why artisan gingerbread bakeries are as popular as they are now – there’s no substitute for the real deal.
As consumers continue to search for unique and delectable specialty gingerbread, we have no doubt that artisan bakeries will continue to rise in popularity. With better quality, fresh, local ingredients, and gingerbread made with love by real Australians, buying your next sweet treat from an artisan bakery like Hosome is sure to leave your sweet tooth satisfied (guilt-free, of course!).