The Artisan Baker Launches Made-to-Order Delivery in Rio de Janeiro

By Jay Forte, Contributing Reporter

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – With a selection of British, American and Continental European favorites baked to order and delivered, the recent launch of The Artisan Baker is poised to hit home. The UK expatriate behind the endeavor is Martin Whitefield, originally from London but has been living in Rio for over seven years.

The Artisan Baker products are all made the old-fashioned way, according to Whitefield, with high quality ingredients and without the addition of any artificial flavorings or preservatives.

He explains everything is made-to-order, either on the day when the order is placed, or on the day of delivery. The official delivery deadline is by 12 noon on the day after the order is placed.

Whitefield explains “It’s a completely new venture for me. I´m actually a qualified English teacher and have worked as a private teacher in Rio but after a few years got fed up with running around in the tropical heat for relatively little money.”

Adding, “I still go back to the UK every year for a couple of months to teach English at summer school, which is much more lucrative, but that may change if the new venture is a success.”

“So, with five years to go before I start receiving my UK pension, I need a useful occupation and a source of income so The Artisan Baker is the result.”

“I knew I wanted to do something connected with food and after considering and discounting various possibilities including a catering business and a food truck, I came up with this idea,” Whitefield shares.

In terms of baking, the new business details that all yeasted products including bread, croissants, pain aux raisins, pain au chocolat and cinnamon rolls are baked fresh on the day of delivery so that they can be enjoyed at their best.

A few products which are made with baking powder but have the characteristics of bread – for example, banana nut loaf and scones – are also baked fresh on the day of delivery.

Everything else is baked on the day of the order, sealed in an airtight bag and frozen or refrigerated, depending upon the product, according to The Artisan Baker web site.

“I’ve spent about a year developing [The Artisan Baker]. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the whole project, but now it’s time to set out my stall, so to speak, and see if there are any customers out there.”