Head Baker for Brown Sugar, Bruno Acharki, has been working as a skilled craft baker for over twenty years. Inspired by his grandfather, who Bruno describes as “a genius when it came to bread”, he has worked for some of Europe’s most talented bakers, learning skills only experience can award. “That’s the difference between artisan and factory baking. Pride and passion is poured into every loaf when you are a craft baker. Artisan is hand crafted, artistic… each loaf as individual as a fingerprint.” Located in the heart of the English countryside, Brown Sugar prides itself on utilising traditional methods and sustainable ingredients wherever possible.
“Our footprint is only 30 miles, anything we can get locally we do. Our wheat is milled by a 4th generation miller just a few miles from us and we use fruit from the nearby vineyard to create our fermentée.”
Even the cardboard boxes used for delivery are recycled, “protecting and enhancing the environment is central to the ethos of Brown Sugar, we put as much back into the community as possible, as well as protecting the integrity of the bread we make.” Responsible for the day-to-day running of the bakery, keeping his team motivated and maintaining product quality, Bruno is also integral to the company’s innovative approach to baking. Creating inspirational, memorable flavour combinations fuels Bruno’s tangible passion for baking, “I’m driven by the bespoke bread we create, nothing gives me more pride and passion in my work than developing a bread that people enjoy.” In fact La Boulangerie’s Rosemary TreeBark® Bread is just one of the unique products Bruno has designed. “It’s a fantastic product and impossible to find anywhere else. Versatile with a unique texture and taste and extremely light, it’s great with any meal.”
With very little machinery on site, just basic equipment, the bread produced really is down to the talents of the team, “the only piece of equipment we really need is our hands, obviously a stone bake oven helps but if you understand the methodology of baking and you are prepared to put in the hard work you’ll produce fantastic bread.”
Asking Bruno which product is his favourite proves to be too much. “They’re all fantastic, I know you would expect me to say that but they simply are. Our Oxford sour dough range is sensational thanks to the bespoke fermentée, the TreeBark® completely unique, all our breads are fantastic.”
This unfaltering faith is testament to the dedication Bruno and his team lavish on every loaf they bake, “it’s hard to find a team that enjoys their work as much as we do, our bakers are the heart of the business.”
One thing is for sure, it doesn’t stop here for Brown Sugar. Bruno is already working on his own ciabatta recipe for foodservice that won’t dry out quickly. “That’s what makes us stand out from the more commercial bakeries, our love for bread is incomparable, and we’re constantly evolving. You can never learn everything there is to know about bread but you can enjoy trying.”
