BAKERY Andante has secured a deal to supply a further four branches of Waitrose in Scotland with artisan bread, following its success in Edinburgh.
Stocked in the two Edinburgh branches of Waitrose since 2015, its handmade sourdoughs and New York deli-style bread will now also be on sale at the Byres Road, Milngavie, Stirling and Newton Mearns stores from mid-April.
Andante is a musical expression meaning ‘at a slower tempo’, and the bread is made using the slow food method. The sourdoughs take 24 hours to produce, allowing time to create the depth of flavours.
Jon Wood, owner of Bakery Andante, said: “Initially we weren’t interested in supplying supermarkets. However, when we got the call from Waitrose we decided it was definitely worth a try, as it suits our brand perfectly – and they liked our home-made, high quality artisan product.
“Supplying the two stores in Edinburgh has been extremely successful, and we’re pleased that with our new facility in Leith we’re finally able to supply more of the branches.
"We’ve hired some extra staff and have taken on some fantastic apprentices, so it’s an exciting time for us at Andante.”
Wood started baking when his children were born, as he wanted to make good, sustaining food for them. He was soon waking up at 2am to bake for school fetes, and had developed a passion for making bread.
After being made redundant in 2010, he was able to follow his dream and open the bakery he’d been talking about for years.
Tracey Marshall, buyer for local & regional at Waitrose, said: “Demand for artisan bread is growing, with sales enjoying a 267 per cent increase year on year.
"With the quality and taste of Jon’s bread it's easy to understand why. You can tell time has gone into it, the flavours are exceptional. It has been incredibly popular with our Edinburgh shoppers and we have no doubt it will be successful elsewhere too."
Andante white sourdough, Andante 30% Rye sourdough and Andante New York deli style will be available at the Byres Road, Milngavie, Stirling and Newton Mearns stores, with an additional seasonal line which will change every two months.
Wood will be hosting tastings in store for the first few weeks. If the bread proves popular, it is hoped that an additional two lines will be added, to bring all six stores in line with the offering available in the Edinburgh branches.
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