The Bread Maker
The Bread Maker is an Aberdeen-based Scottish charity and social enterprise bakery that employs adults with learning disabilities as apprentices while producing artisan bread, running a Coffee House café, delivering corporate catering, and teaching paid bread-making courses across the Aberdeen and Shire area.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2006
- HeadquartersAberdeen, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What The Bread Maker does
The Bread Maker is a registered Scottish charity (SCO30100) and social enterprise operating from a single bakery and Coffee House café at 50-52 Rosemount Viaduct in Aberdeen, with a registered office at 10 Thistle Street. Founded in 2006 and led by CEO Donald Anderson, it employs approximately 11 staff and runs an apprenticeship model that provides meaningful work and life-skills training to adults with learning disabilities. All commercial activity is structured around this social purpose.
The core production is handcrafted artisan bread using traditional techniques and fresh daily baking. The product portfolio spans four pillars: (i) wholesale and in-store artisan bread (sourdough, focaccia, ciabatta, rye, French baton) sold in the Coffee House and to cafes and restaurants across Aberdeen city and Shire; (ii) the Coffee House café serving Italian coffee, breakfast, sandwiches, soups, and light meals; (iii) corporate catering with tiered buffets (Rosemount through Rubislaw, £4.95–£10.50), Afternoon Tea at £36.30, and event delivery across Aberdeen; and (iv) educational bread-making day courses priced at £150 per person for groups of up to six. Ancillary retail includes gift vouchers (£10–£50), whole cakes, fruit tarts, a sourdough and Camembert platter, and the HuskeeCup reusable cup (£14) with a loyalty scheme.
Revenue is generated entirely through one-time transactional sales across consumer retail, B2B catering, course fees, and wholesale supply; no subscription, licensing, or recurring contracts are disclosed. Distribution combines the physical café, online ordering via the Squarespace-based website, direct corporate delivery, and wholesale to local hospitality businesses, supplemented by participation in community markets. Marketing is community-led, relying on the website, Instagram, email newsletter, and volunteer-driven events rather than paid acquisition. The organization is independent with no parent, no funding rounds, and no disclosed financial figures.
The Bread Maker firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Bread Maker
- Legal name
- The Bread Maker
- Website
- https://thebreadmaker.org.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2006
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Bread Maker is an Aberdeen-based Scottish charity and social enterprise bakery that employs adults with learning disabilities as apprentices while producing artisan bread, running a Coffee House café, delivering corporate catering, and teaching paid bread-making courses across the Aberdeen and Shire area.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Bread Maker industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Artisan Bakery / Social Enterprise Café
- NAICS
- Retail Bakeries (311811), Bread and Bakery Product Manufacturing (31181), Special Food Services (7223)
- SIC
- Bakery Products (2050), Retail-Eating Places (5812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Retail Bakeries (Bread & Daily Bakery) (THAFAFAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Cafe-Bakeries (Bakery + Coffee/Foodservice) (THAFAFAG), Bread & Rolls Manufacturing (AFAKAAAA), Baking & Pastry Arts (EDAOAKAB)
Keywords
Where The Bread Maker is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Aberdeen
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
The Bread Maker business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Bakery Product Sales: Fresh artisan bread and baked goods sold through the company's own shop, Coffee House café, and wholesale to cafes and restaurants throughout Aberdeen city and Shire.
- Corporate Catering: Corporate buffets and event catering delivered to offices and venues in Aberdeen and surrounding areas.
- Bread Making Courses: Day courses teaching bread making techniques to groups of up to 6 people, priced at £150 per person.
- Retail Products: Various food and beverage products including buffets, Afternoon Tea, confectionery, coffee, and gift vouchers sold online and in-store.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Bread Making Course - £150 per person |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Gift Vouchers - starting from £10 |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Buffet Options - £4.95 to £10.50 |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Afternoon Tea - £36.30 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Sourdough and Camembert Platter - £30.00 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Whole Cake - £25.00 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Box of Fresh Fruit Tarts - £18.00 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | HuskeeCup - £14.00 |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
The Bread Maker product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Bread Maker is a social enterprise bakery in Aberdeen that produces and sells artisan bread baked fresh daily using traditional techniques and finest ingredients. It operates a Coffee House café serving Italian coffee and light meals, provides corporate catering services with tiered buffet packages, and runs educational bread-making courses for groups of up to six participants. The social enterprise mission is to provide meaningful work opportunities and life-skills training to adults with learning disabilities through apprentice placements in the bakery and café operations.
Product overview
The Bread Maker is a social enterprise bakery offering a unified portfolio of artisan bread products and hospitality services. Core offerings include handcrafted artisan breads baked fresh daily, a café (Coffee House) serving Italian coffee and light meals, and corporate catering services. Educational bread-making courses provide hands-on training for customers. The product ecosystem is complemented by add-on offerings including pre-set corporate buffets (Rosemount, Bon Accord, Marischal, Rubislaw tiers), afternoon tea service, specialty platters, cakes, fruit tarts, reusable HuskeeCup merchandise, and gift vouchers. All offerings are available through both walk-in retail and online ordering channels.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Artisan Bread Products Handcrafted artisan bread baked fresh daily using traditional techniques and the finest ingredients. The range includes sourdough, focaccia, ciabatta, rye, French baton, and specialty loaves sold in the company's own Coffee House and through wholesale to cafés and restaurants throughout Aberdeen city and Shire.
- Coffee House Café The Bread Maker's café located in the heart of Aberdeen, serving breakfast from 8:30am to 11:30am, Italian coffee, sandwiches, wraps, salads, homemade soups, and freshly baked products. Available for sit-in or take-away, for walk-in customers and visiting members of the public.
- Corporate Catering Corporate catering service providing sandwiches, wraps, canapés, and baked goods for offices, meetings, and events across Aberdeen. Includes tiered buffet packages (Rosemount £4.95, Bon Accord £6.90, Marischal £8.75, Rubislaw £10.50) with customizable options; orders require 24 hours notice and are delivered to offices and venues throughout Aberdeen area, with further afield service by special arrangement.
- Bread Making Courses Educational bread-making workshops taught in small groups of up to 6 participants, covering various bread types from sourdough to butteries. The full-day course includes a complimentary lunch and is priced at £150 per person; booking is available online or by phone.
- Afternoon Tea Traditional afternoon tea service featuring sandwiches, scones, and sweet items, available for dine-in at the Coffee House or for delivery across the Aberdeen area. Priced at £36.30.
- Sourdough and Camembert Platter Artisan sharing platter combining The Bread Maker's house-made sourdough bread with Camembert cheese, available for individual purchase at £30.00.
- Whole Cake Whole cake units available for individual purchase at £25.00, suitable for occasions and gifting.
- Box of Fresh Fruit Tarts Box of assorted fresh fruit tarts available for individual purchase at £18.00, suitable for sharing and events.
- HuskeeCup Reusable Coffee Cup Eco-friendly 12oz reusable coffee cup made from coffee husks, sold at £14.00. Each purchase includes one free coffee voucher and access to the café's loyalty scheme.
- Gift Vouchers Gift vouchers redeemable in-store at The Bread Maker's shop and Coffee House, available in £10, £15, £20, and £50 denominations.
Companies that use The Bread Maker
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
The Bread Maker technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Bread Maker partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators5 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
The Bread Maker competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Hobbs House Bakery: Family-run Cotswolds artisan bakery combining retail shops, café, and baking courses. Direct analogue for The Bread Maker's artisan-plus-education mix and multi-revenue-stream approach.
- Bread Ahead: London-based artisan bakery combining retail, café, and a baking school offering hands-on courses. Directly comparable to The Bread Maker across all three pillars — fresh bread production, café, and educational experiences.
- Gail's Bakery: UK artisan bakery chain combining in-store retail with café service and a strong craft bread-led proposition. Closest direct analogue for The Bread Maker's bakery-plus-café model, though operating at significantly larger scale across multiple cities.
- E5 Bakehouse: Hackney-based artisan bakery and café operating from a single site, producing sourdough-led breads for retail and wholesale to London hospitality. Closely comparable single-site artisan bakery-and-café operating model.
- The Artisan Bakery: UK wholesale artisan bakery supplying cafes, hotels, and restaurants with handcrafted breads. Comparable wholesale distribution model to The Bread Maker's supply into Aberdeen hospitality venues.
- Bertinet Bakery: Bath-based artisan bakery and cookery school offering bread-making courses alongside retail bakery sales. Closely comparable educational offering and pricing model to The Bread Maker's £150-per-person day courses.
Others
- Real Bread Campaign: UK advocacy body promoting independent artisan bakers and traditional bread-making. Relevant ecosystem peer for a social-enterprise artisan bakery engaged in community education and slow-food values, though not a commercial competitor.
Broad incumbents
- Paul UK: French-founded bakery chain with UK presence operating bakery-cafés at greater scale, offering an overlapping fresh-bread and café proposition. Relevant incumbent comparable for category and customer use case, but not specialising in The Bread Maker's social-enterprise niche.
- Bridor UK: Industrial bakery supplier of artisan-style breads to foodservice and retail across the UK. Comparable product category (artisan bread) at much larger B2B scale; useful reference for wholesale economics rather than direct competitor.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat2 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Bread Maker social profiles
Digital presenceThe Bread Maker financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Bread Maker leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
The Bread Maker funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Bread Maker M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Bread Maker
What does The Bread Maker do?
The Bread Maker is a social enterprise bakery in Aberdeen that produces and sells artisan bread baked fresh daily using traditional techniques and finest ingredients. It operates a Coffee House café serving Italian coffee and light meals, provides corporate catering services with tiered buffet packages, and runs educational bread-making courses for groups of up to six participants. The social enterprise mission is to provide meaningful work opportunities and life-skills training to adults with learning disabilities through apprentice placements in the bakery and café operations.
Is The Bread Maker a public or private company?
The Bread Maker is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Bread Maker founded?
The Bread Maker was founded in 2006. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The Bread Maker based?
The Bread Maker is headquartered in Aberdeen, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does The Bread Maker make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Bakery Product Sales are the primary driver. The others are corporate Catering, bread Making Courses and retail Products.
Who are The Bread Maker's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Hobbs House Bakery, Bread Ahead, Gail's Bakery, E5 Bakehouse, The Artisan Bakery and Bertinet Bakery. Real Bread Campaign is listed as an others. Broad incumbents are Paul UK and Bridor UK.
Does The Bread Maker have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Bread Maker.
What industry is The Bread Maker in?
The Bread Maker's product category is Artisan Bakery / Social Enterprise Café. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFAFAA, Retail Bakeries (Bread & Daily Bakery), with a secondary code of THAFAFAG, Cafe-Bakeries (Bakery + Coffee/Foodservice). Its NAICS code is 311811 and its SIC code is 2050.