Walk into any supermarket and you’ll find “artisan” bread that was mass produced in a factory. “Artisan” crisps from an industrial production line. “Artisan” cheese that’s never seen a small dairy. The word has been abused so much it’s lost all meaning. It’s marketing fluff now, just a fancy word slapped on packaging to justify a price increase while meaning absolutely nothing in terms of the product itself or how it was made.
But artisan used to mean something. And for some businesses, it still does. So when does “artisan” actually mean anything, and when is it just bollocks?
What “Artisan” Used to Mean
Historically an artisan was someone who made things by hand using traditional skills and methods. A craftsperson. Someone who learned a trade, developed expertise, and produced goods in small quantities with attention to detail.
You know, like a baker making bread from scratch in small batches, a cheesemaker working with milk from their own herd, a butcher preparing charcuterie by hand, a handsome, bearded man cold smoking some nuts in his garden or a potter throwing ceramics on a wheel. That kind of thing.
The defining characteristics were:
- Small scale – products were made with limited production capacity.
- Hand-made or hand-finished – so human skill was involved at every stage.
- Traditional methods – production techniques that been passed down and refined over time.
- Quality over quantity – the focus was on doing it well, not doing it fast or at scale.
Artisan wasn’t about being perfect. It was about being made by a person who cared, using methods that took time and skill.
What “Artisan” Means Now (Mostly Nothing)
Somewhere along the line, marketing departments discovered that “artisan” sells. Stick it on a label, charge 20% more, watch people buy it because it sounds better than “mass-produced in a factory that makes the same stuff for 10 other conglomerates.”
Now you’ve got:
- “Artisan” bread baked in industrial ovens by the thousands.
- “Artisan” crisps made on automated production lines (although- have you tried Brets? MATE. Get some).
- “Artisan” gin distilled in massive batches and bottled by machines.
- “Artisan” cheese that’s never been near a small dairy.
None of these are necessarily bad products. But they’re not artisan. They’re just regular products with better branding. The word has been diluted to the point where it means “slightly fancier than basic” or “we put it in nice packaging.”
The Legal Position (There Isn’t One)
Here’s the bit that is somewhat frustrating: there’s no legal definition of “artisan” in the UK.
Anyone can call anything artisan. There are no rules, no standards, no enforcement.
Compare that to:
- “Organic” – a legally defined term that requires certification and is actively enforced.
- “Free-range” – producers must meet specific standards for animal welfare to qualify.
- “Protected Designation of Origin” – producers must adhere to geographic and production criteria.
“Artisan” has none of that. It’s unregulated marketing language, which means a factory churning out 10,000 loaves a day can call their bread “artisan” with exactly the same legitimacy as a baker making 50 loaves by hand.
What Actually Makes Something Artisan
At Sussex Smokehouse, we call ourselves artisan. Here’s why we think that’s justified:
- Small Batches
We smoke in batches small enough that one person (me) can manage the entire process. We’re not running industrial smokers 24/7. We’re doing a few kilos at a time, checking temperatures hourly and monitoring it all by hand.
If something goes wrong, we catch it. If a batch isn’t right, we don’t sell it. Small scale forces attention to detail. You can’t hide behind automation.
- Hands-On Process
Every batch is loaded, monitored, seasoned, roasted, cooled, and packed by hand. There’s no machine doing the smoking. There’s no production line packaging nuts.
It’s labour-intensive and downright inefficient by industrial standards. That’s the point. It’s also why the finished product costs a bit more.
- Traditional Methods
Cold smoking for 12 hours over wood is a traditional preservation and flavouring technique. It’s slow, it’s old-fashioned, and it requires patience.
We’re not blasting our products with liquid smoke or any other industrial shortcuts. We’re doing it the way smokehouses have done it for centuries – just with better temperature control.
- Made by One Person
I do the smoking, roasting, seasoning, packing, and selling. If there’s a problem, I’m the one who fixes it. If a customer has a question, they’re talking to the person who made it. It’s not scalable. But it is artisan.
- Quality Over Speed
We could smoke for six hours instead of 12 and get decent results, but it wouldn’t be as good. We could use cheaper, more neutral-tasting oils instead of chicken fat. We could cut corners.
We don’t, because the point is to make the best version of the product, not the fastest or cheapest.
Does It Matter?
I reckon it does. “Artisan” has become meaningless because it’s been abused. And that’s a problem for both consumers and genuine small producers.
Consumers are being misled. You’re paying more for a product that’s been labeled as hand made by a skilled individual but it’s actually been made in a factory. You might be led to believe you’re supporting a small maker, but you’re really buying from a corporation that’s good at hiding its true ownership.
Small producers are competing against industrial products with vast marketing budgets that use the same language. When “artisan” means nothing, it’s harder to explain why our products cost more and why that matters.
At Sussex Smokehouse, I can tell you:
- Which batch number you’re eating.
- What day it was smoked.
- What the temperature was during the smoke.
- Any issues we had.
- When it was packaged.
That’s traceability. That’s artisan production. That’s the Sussex Smokehouse way!
Support small business.
What we’re watching: The Long Walk (2024). Meh.
What we’re listening to: Sadistik & Kno – Bring Me Back When the World is Cured
