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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.
In 1829, that’s where it all began. That makes for a lot of years, a lot of batches, and a lot of biscuits. Really, a lot of biscuits! Invented, tasted, loved, sometimes reworked, or even entirely reimagined — always with care. And it also means a lot of choices. Small ones, big ones, crucial ones. All guided by a voice, discreet yet clear, that we call, here at the Maison, common sense.
Not the kind that makes noise, but the kind 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 careful team is what makes a quality biscuit. That not producing too much is the key to almost everything and sometimes, less is the best we can do for tomorrow.
From day one, it’s that voice we’ve listened to. And today, it’s still baked into every biscuit, whispering: “Keep it simple, keep it good, keep it kind.”
We believe that biscuits can make the world just a little bit better. More sustainable. More joyful. This conviction inspired our manifesto, which lives on in our common sense program: One Biscuit at a Time.
Because let’s be honest: it’s not always easy. The air in the bakery changes with the seasons, flour reacts differently depending on its origin, and some years, chocolate is really expensive. In a world in transition, nothing stays still.
So choosing with care is an ongoing commitment. It keeps us curious, self-aware, and open to others who are doing things well. To move forward in a real and practical way, we’ve identified eight focus areas: local, artisanal, good & good, organic-regenerative, well surrounded, lower carbon, family-owned and B Corp.
It’s how we link our manifesto to our daily actions, how we turn words into deeds. It’s this ongoing learning journey — our real story — that we wanted to share with you:
LOCAL
We favor the next-door approach, to take care of the planet, one biscuit at a time.
More than 75% of our raw material suppliers are located within 100 km of our production workshop. The workshop itself is less than 25 km from our stores. To give you an idea, that’s 4,545 small almond breads* lined up. That’s what we call next-door**. We’ve also stopped “big exportation”. Instead of sending our treats to the four corners of the world, we let them travel with those the world sends our way. We have always favored local, and we’re working to go even further in this direction. There’s no reason for that to change.
**or 3,846 speculoos *Brussels–Ostend, that’s 20,362 almond breads in a summer line!
ARTISANAL
We love to roll, tap, knead, sprinkle, mix, unmold, one biscuit at a time.
Our story began 200 years ago. Our ancestors witnessed the dawn of the industrial age. We saw - and let - production lines pass by. We prefer to roll, tap, knead, sprinkle, mix, unmold, shape, press, pasteurize. In short, to do things by hand. Not because it’s simpler, but because we want humans to remain at the heart. So we let in few machines, adjust the flows, tweak the processes, and move forward. Without economies of scale, but with 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 means “twice cooked”. What if the biscuit was also good twice? Once for people - your taste buds, our teams, the hands that cultivate - once for the planet. Because good taste is no longer enough. Common sense is needed too. So we take care of living things: the soil, the minds, the connections. With agriculture that regenerates as much as it nourishes. Everything is connected. The road will be long, but it starts here. One biscuit at a time. Out of respect for the 7 generations before us, and the 77 to come.
BIO AND REGENERATIVE
For the most part, and increasingly, 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 the organic label is just the beginning. Our horizon is bio-regenerative agriculture. An approach that doesn’t just protect nature but cultivates with it. A way to feed people while regenerating the soil, water, air, and biodiversity.
WELL-SURROUNDED
We partner with good people working for better, one biscuit at a time.
Unity makes strength and the best tables. At Maison Dandoy, we love to surround ourselves with committed friends. So we work hand in hand with people who work for the common good, such as House of Agroecology, Farm for Good, 2030, Kaya, Corporate ReGeneration, The Shift. But also Kickcancer, Restos du Coeur, Réseau Loco, WWF, Tada, … There will always be room at the table for new guests.
LESS CARBON
We track, recycle, and calculate, 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 decreases, that’s something. But in total volume, it grows when we produce more. So we sift everything: journeys, waste, packaging, ingredients, electricity bills. Each of us brings our stone to the building, one biscuit at a time.
FAMILY
A human-sized business, that grows but not too much, (just) one biscuit at a time.
At Dandoy, family is the one we have, the one we choose, and the one we form together. Recipes, values, and joyful rituals passed down for seven generations, artisans sometimes from mother to son. It’s also partners next door, a committed team, biscuits that bring people together. And then you, with whom we share our successes, but also our doubts and our trials. Like all good families.
B-CORP
We obtained the certification, and we want to do better, one biscuit at a time.
It’s the name of a certification for companies working for the common good. Its pillars are society, the environment, governance, and transparency. It’s a certification we dreamed of having so we worked hard, and in the summer of 2024, we obtained it with 85 out of 200 points. That means we’re on the right track! By 2027 we aim to do (even) better*. All this, one biscuit at a time.
*To achieve this, we will focus on water management, packaging, waste, and new organic and regenerative raw material supply chains.
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!