An artisanal food producer is an individual or small team that makes food in small batches, using ingredients recognizable in their natural form and methods that prioritize quality over efficiency.
Use the following criteria to help identify true artisanal producers. Not every item must be perfectly met, but together these signs point to food made with care, integrity, and purpose.
Artisanal producers typically make food in small batches. Their operations are limited in scale, avoiding the efficiencies of mass production that often trade quality for volume.
They use ingredients that are familiar and close to their natural form – not industrial inputs like flavor enhancers, synthetic additives, chemical isolates, artificial preservatives, colorings, emulsifiers, or shelf-life boosters.
Decisions about sourcing, tools, and techniques are made to improve the taste, texture, or integrity of the product – not just to lower costs or save time.
Machinery can be part of the process – but only when it helps preserve or improve the final product. Tools that compromise quality or exist purely for scaling up are a red flag.
The people behind the food are directly involved in producing it. They aren't just brand owners or marketers – they're the ones stirring, baking, fermenting, or overseeing the process daily. Anonymous brands or white-labeled products without a named producer are not accepted.
They can tell you exactly what's in their product and where it came from. They avoid anonymous, bulk commodities with unknown origins.