Baking Industry Awards 2025: Mademoiselle Macaron tops list of online businesses

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The winner of the Online Bakery Business of the Year category is one that has an excellent website design and well thought out experience, while proving that it can deliver items nationwide arriving in immaculate condition.

Winner: Mademoiselle Macaron

Being an exclusively online bakery has not stopped Mademoiselle Macaron from offering customers a personable shopping experience, states founder Rachel Hanretty.

The Edinburgh-based business says its offer of highly customised and bespoke macarons has been made possible by “investing heavily” in its website, which creates a unique customer journey and garners an unmatched standard of online reviews.

Judges in the category were won over by the “clean and easy to use” website and found it pleasantly straightforward to build a box of mixed flavours. There were also clear instructions on how to customise orders.

One judge commented on how the macarons were “beautifully presented upon arrival and the personalisation came out great”, while another noted how other competitors in the market had websites that “aren’t quite as slick or the products are part of a wider product range”.

The website functions primarily as a B2C sales platform, but Mademoiselle Macaron has also thought about its trade customers including hotels, catering companies, and high street brands. These companies can upload their logos to be put on macarons, with some orders reaching thousands of boxes.

Around 20 flavours are available throughout the year, from the ever-classic pistachio, raspberry, vanilla, chocolate, and salted caramel, to limited edition seasonal options such as mince pies for Christmas. “They were delicious,” said a judge on the macarons they received.

Finalist: Biscuiteers

Hand-iced biscuit specialist Biscuiteers describes online as ‘the beating heart of the brand’, with sales through its website accounting for 55% of its total business.

The firm has invested in the user experience, rolling out an app with faster payment options and stored addresses, while the website allows users to choose multi-address shipping options and specific delivery dates. It also offers personalisation on some products, including hand-iced biscuits and chocolates. All of this is backed up by a ‘full funnel’ approach to marketing, focused on raising brand awareness, acquiring new customers, and encouraging repeat purchases from existing ones.

The “beautiful photography” and “outstanding packaging” were highlighted by the judges who also praised the functionality of the website, particularly being able to filter by types of products, recipients, or occasions, as well as the Pressie Points scheme which helped drive loyalty.

Finalist: Blondies Kitchen

Artisan cookie brand Blondies Kitchen is making waves on the web where consumers can order freshly baked, personalised, and beautifully packaged products. The firm pivoted to selling online amidst the pandemic and now the platform accounts for the majority of its revenue.

The bakery is aiming to ‘deliver excellence’ every single day, adding that it has designed its website to make the ordering process as seamless as possible for individual or bulk orders. Customers can select products, personalisation, and designated delivery date. What’s more, Blondies Kitchen offers next day service if the order is placed by midday.

The cookies in flavours including Classic Chocolate Chip, Cocoberry, Blondie, and Dark Chocolate & Sea Salt were found to be “delicious, indulgent, but never too sweet” by the judges. They also praised the personalisation offered on larger cookies, and highlighted the “authentic storytelling” on the firm’s social media which allows customers to see behind the scenes.

Finalist: Lottie Shaw’s

Since being acquired by fellow Yorkshire firm Jacksons (part of the William Jackson Food Group) last year, the craft bakery business has unveiled a brand refresh to reflect its ‘quality and Yorkshire heritage’ along with ambitious growth plans – both of which are reflected in its online offering.

The recently redesigned consumer-facing website accounts for around half of Lottie Shaw’s revenue. Alongside this, the team made several tweaks to make it more user friendly, including changes to the navigation, the addition of a ‘quick add to basket’ tool, and refreshed photography. The business has also invested in a trade website as well, from which it sells a range of sweet treats such as Yorkshire Parkin, flapjacks, biscuits, and millionaire shortbread.

Judges said the packaging felt “fresh and modern” yet still reflected the heritage and tradition that Lottie Shaw’s is steeped in. They also commended the website updates, particularly in photography which showed off the products and brand really well.

Finalist: Millie’s Cookies

Alongside 40+ stores across the UK, Millie’s operates a direct-to-consumer website which offers next-day and named day delivery of its cookies, including sharing-sized ones which can be personalised.

E-commerce plays a ‘crucial’ role in the business’ overall strategy as it allows Millie’s Cookies to reach customers beyond its brick-and-mortar estate. In May 2024 it launched a new website with an ‘enhanced user journey’ making it ‘easier and more enjoyable’ for customers to browse, personalise, and order sweet treats. The website was also optimised for mobile and tablet users. This is aided by targeted digital marketing, social media, and email campaigns.

Millie’s website is “so easy to use” on desktop and mobile, and the personalisation service was “fantastic, as it really walked you through the process step by step”, said the judges. The products and packaging on arrival were “delightful”, and the order by 1pm for next day delivery was a “real selling point”.