How we choose who we work with

It starts with the ingredient. But it doesn’t end there. 

We look for people who know their craft inside out and care as much about how something is made as how it tastes. People who understand where their ingredients come from, consider their impact and are always looking for ways to make things better. 

And we look for people we can learn from. Because the best relationships go beyond buying and selling - our producers challenge our bakers, our bakers challenge our producers, and together we develop ingredients, solve problems and make better food. 

  • EXPERTS IN THEIR CRAFT

    Deep knowledge, built through doing.

  • CAREFULLY SOURCED

    Knowing where our food comes from matters.

  • MAKING THINGS BETTER

    Always looking for better ways to grow, make and use food.

  • COLLABORATIVE

    Some of our best recipes start with conversations, not briefs.

Introducing our Craft Community

Within our wider group of producers is our Craft Community: producers we work especially closely with, where our relationship can have a meaningful impact on their business and on the food system around us. 

These are often smaller, independent producers whose values and ambitions closely align with ours. We build these relationships for the long term, working together more closely, sharing knowledge and giving them greater confidence to invest in their craft and grow responsibly. 

Meet the Craft Community

Quicke's

Mary and Jane Quicke 

RAPSCALLION

Gregor Leckie

Tea Together

Eli Gifford

Buchanans Cheesemonger

Rhuaridh Buchanan

Eaten Alive

Pat & Glyn

 

  • WILDPRESS

    Nadeem Lalani Nanjuwany and Adam Grout 

    Sustainable apple juice, Across the UK 

    Nadeem and Adam are on a mission to protect Britain’s biodiversity by seeking out lesser-known apple varieties and partnering with local sustainable orchards. Every year, they bring a selection of fruit from their harvest for us to craft our own uniquely GAIL’s apple juice.  

  • BRADES FARM 

    Ed Towers 

    Dairy farm specialising in barista milk , Lancashire 

    A carbon-smart dairy that combines milks from Jersey and Holstein-Friesian cows to create a creamier, higher protein blend that’s perfect for coffee. We were one of the first to use their Barista Milk in our hot drinks after it launched almost 10 years ago.

 

  • XOCO

    Frank Homann 

    Single-variety cacao, France 

    The world’s first chocolate producer to develop and grow its own single-variety cacao. XOCO use the Ancient Roman technique of grafting cacao fruits to improve flavour and make a positive environmental impact. Our hot chocolates, and many of our cakes, are now made with XOCO chocolate.  

  • DAILY DOSE

    George Hughes-Davies 

    Cold press juice, Cambridgeshire 

    George rescues imperfect fruits and vegetables, cold-pressing them into nutritious juices and combating food waste in the process. We regularly collaborate with George on our barista drink recipes. The leftover fruit pulp from his juices is upcycled into our fruit teas, adding texture, flavour and nutritional value while helping to reduce waste.  

 

  • MOMO KOMBUCHA

    Josh and Lisa Puddle 

    Raw and unfiltered kombucha, Brixton, London 

    Josh and Lisa insist on making unfiltered kombucha the old-fashioned way in small glass jars with organic ingredients. We think this makes it the very best in the market. Plus, every purchase of Momo Kombuch donates 10p to Natoora’s Farm Fund, a global fund for growers committed to agroecological cultivation methods. So far, our customers have raised over £21,500 towards the fund – a figure that will be matched by both Natoora and their investors, bringing the total to nearly £65,000.  

  • LINCOLNSHIRE POACHER

    Simon and Tim Jones 

    Raw-milk cheesemakers, Lincolnshire
     

    Brothers Simon and Tim make a raw-milk cheese using traditional methods and slow maturation at their family farm in Lincolnshire. When we first approached them years ago, they couldn’t believe we wanted to use their cheese – the star of any cheeseboard – in a humble croissant. It took a few taste tests to convince them we weren’t joking.

 

  • COBBLE LANE CURED

    Matt Hill and Adam Brudnowski 

    British charcuterie, Oxfordshire 

    One of the best charcuterie producers in the country, Cobble Lane Cured is a specialist London-based butchery that uses meats solely from high-quality British producers and farmers. Currently, we use their cured meats in many of our customer favourites, including our Pastrami Rachel and our Salami & Cornichon Brioche. 

Better Together.

When you know the people behind your ingredients, different things become possible. 

  • Supporting Craft

    Over 18 months, we launched 50 new products with our Craft Community and increased spend with these businesses by almost 50%. As of August 2026, 15% of the ingredients bought and products stocked came from the Craft Community.

  • WASTE NOT

    We have used 11 tonnes of Quicke's cheese off-cuts and 2,000 tonnes of wonky fruit and vegetables from Daily Dose since launching the Craft Community.

  • BIODIVERSITY

    We committed to buying lesser-known heritage apple varieties and directly supporting five organic orchards.

Flour from Shipton Mill

John Lister

Eggs from Cacklebean

Paddy Bourns

Chocolate from Islands

Wilf Marriott

Coffee from Union

Jeremy Torz

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