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One biscuit at a time: Maison Dandoy’s common sense program
Since 1829, Maison Dandoy has shaped each biscuit with “common sense”. Discover our “One Biscuit at a Time” program and its 8 hands-on pillars for a sustainable, artisanal and regenerative biscuit-making journey.
It all began in 1829. That’s a lot of years, batches, and biscuits ago. Really, a lot of biscuits! Invented, tasted, loved, sometimes reworked, sometimes entirely reimagined — always with care. And also, a lot of choices. Small ones, big ones, crucial ones. Guided by a quiet yet clear voice, what we at Maison Dandoy call ‘common sense’.
Not the kind that makes noise, but the one that knows what is right, and what brings joy. Like knowing that a fine brown sugar makes a speculoos crispy, and that pearl sugar is the secret to a slightly sticky bread. That spring butter isn’t the same as winter butter, and that a well-cared-for team is what makes a quality biscuit. That not producing too much is often the key to almost everything — and that sometimes, less is the very best we can do for tomorrow.
From day one, this voice has guided us. And today, it still whispers in every biscuit we make: ‘Keep it simple. Make it good. Make it right.’ We believe biscuits can make the world a little better. More sustainable, more joyful. This belief inspired our manifesto, embodied in our ‘common sense’ programme ‘One Biscuit at a Time’. Because it’s not always easy: the workshop’s air changes with the seasons, flour behaves differently depending on its origin, and some years, chocolate is really expensive. In a world in transition, nothing is set in stone.
In short, our commitment is to move forward with discernment. It drives us to keep a critical eye on our biscuits, to stay curious, and to meet others who are doing good things. To make tangible progress, we’ve chosen eight focus areas: local, artisanal, good and good, organic and regenerative, in good company, lower carbon, family, and B Corp. It’s our way of connecting our manifesto ideals to our daily actions, moving from words to deeds. This learning journey — our true story — is what we’d love to share here with you.
LOCAL
We favour what’s next door, to take care of the planet, one biscuit at a time.
More than 75% of our ingredient suppliers are within 100 km of our bakery workshop. The workshop itself is less than 25 km from our stores. To give you an idea, that’s 4,545 tiny almond breads* lined up. Now that’s what we call next door!** We’ve also chosen to stay away from the ‘big export’. Rather than shipping our treats to every corner of the world, we let them travel with the people the world brings to us. ‘Local’ has always been our starting point, and we’re determined to take it even further. There’s no reason for that to change.
**or 3,846 speculoos *A Brussels–Ostend trip? That’s 20,362 almond breads in a summer traffic jam!
ARTISANAL
We love to roll, tap, knead, sprinkle, mix, unmould, one biscuit at a time.
Our story began 200 years ago. Our great-grandparents witnessed the rise of the industrial age. We saw production lines arrive, but chose to let them pass us by. At Maison Dandoy, we prefer to roll, tap, knead, mix, shape, press, sprinkle and unmould. In short, to do things by hand. Not because it’s easier, but because we want people to remain at the heart of what we do. So we use as few machines as possible, adjust workflows, tweak processes, and keep moving forward. Without economies of scale, but at a human scale. You can taste it, can’t you?
GOOD, AND GOOD
Good for the taste buds and good for the planet, one biscuit at a time.
‘Biscuit’ literally means ‘twice baked’. What if a biscuit could also be ‘twice good’? Once for people — your taste buds, our teams, the hands that cultivate. And once for the planet. We think good taste alone is no longer enough. Common sense is needed too. Caring for all that lives — soil, minds, relationships — because everything is connected. That’s why we support agriculture that regenerates nature as much as it nourishes people. The road ahead is long, but it starts here and now. One biscuit at a time. Out of respect for the seven generations before us, and the seventy-seven to come.
ORGANIC AND REGENERATIVE
For the most part, and more and more, one biscuit at a time.
Most of our ingredients are organic: milk, flour, butter, chocolate. We still need to find an organic beet sugar, and that’s quite a puzzle. But we’re not going to sugarcoat the sugar: we’re far too busy looking for solutions. Because an organic label is just the beginning. Our horizon is regenerative agriculture: an approach that not only protects, but also works with nature. A way to feed people while regenerating soil, water, air, and biodiversity.
IN GOOD COMPANY
We partner with people working for a better world, one biscuit at a time.
Together we are stronger — and food tastes better that way too. At Maison Dandoy, we love to surround ourselves with friends on a mission. That’s why we join forces with organisations working for the greater good, such as House of Agroecology, Farm for Good, 2030, Kaya, Corporate ReGeneration, and The Shift. But also Kickcancer, Restos du Cœur, Réseau Loco, WWF, and TADA vzw. At our table, there’s always room for new guests.
LOWER CARBON
We track, calculate, and recycle to reduce our footprint, one biscuit at a time.
We are slowly but surely moving towards our next goal: reducing our carbon footprint. Per kilo it’s already going down — that’s a start. But in total, it still rises when we produce more. That’s why we sift through everything to reduce our emissions: transport, waste, packaging, ingredients, electricity use. Each of us plays our part, one biscuit at a time.
FAMILY
A business on a human scale, growing, but never too much, (just) one biscuit at a time.
At Maison Dandoy, ‘family’ is the one we are born into, the one we choose, and the one we build together. Recipes, values, craftsmanship, and joyful rituals have been passed down for seven generations — sometimes directly from mother to son. Our family also includes our partners next door, a motivated team, and biscuits that bring people together. And then there’s you, with whom we share our successes, but also our doubts and trials. Just like in every good family.
B-CORP
We obtained the certification, and we want to do better, one biscuit at a time.
B Corp is a certification for companies working for the common good. Its pillars are community, environment, governance, and transparency. Achieving this label was a long-held dream, so we worked hard for it. And in the summer of 2024, it happened: Maison Dandoy became a certified B Corp, with a score of 85 out of 200. That means we’re on the right track! By 2027 we aim to go even further*. Step by step, one biscuit at a time.
*We plan to raise our score through better water management, reducing packaging, cutting waste, and increasing the use of organic and regenerative raw materials.
Moving forward One cookie at a time means linking our manifesto to every daily action to build a more sustainable, responsible, and joyful artisanal cookie factory. Thank you for joining us on this adventure!
Discover what we’ve already done — and join the common sense movement!