How a local family business grew into a global family brand

I’ve known Maison Dandoy since I was a kid; their cookies are just fantastic! Personally, I was thrilled to work with them and help them grow.

Thierry Brunfaut, Creative Director & Partner

Before designing, we always start by building a creative strategy. To complement independent research, we interviewed family members and other key stakeholders. We became customers ourselves. All this to absorb the culture of Maison Dandoy, its habits, and its products.

Jasmine De Bruycker, Strategist & Copywriter

As soon as the story and vision were clearly laid out, we created the separate brand elements. You might say the logo is Maison Dandoy’s visual blurb, bundling its core story into a neat and tidy graphic.

Sander Vermeulen, Design Director

To bring freshness to the design, we seasoned it with golden polka dots fresh out of the oven. A contemporary and luxury touch.

When implementing the design, the trick is to find a balance between the gold and the white, between luxury and authenticity. It’s a delicate exercise.

Thomas Leon, Designer

Finding a tone of voice that fits Dandoy was crucial to changing its identity into a personality. We turned the cookies into cheeky characters that talk with a droll voice; a bit like the court jester from the old days. Which makes sense as Maison Dandoy is all about pleasure.

Jasmine De Bruycker, Strategist & Copywriter

Maison Dandoy is also present in Tokyo and is now distributed at Bon Marché, Galeries Lafayette, Dean & DeLuca, Colette or Marks & Spencer. The company is growing internationally year after year.

Fabian Jean Villanueva, Business Developer

Maison Dandoy’s new brand image has opened many new doors. Today, they regularly mount unexpected collaborations with prestigious partners such as high-brow leather house Delvaux, and fashion designers Haider Ackermann and Ann Demeulemeester (seen here in Tokyo).

Léa Wolf, Designer

While expanding internationally, Maison Dandoy also attaches great importance to keeping core, local customers on board. It’s why they decided to create a new biscuit hub in Brussels. The lucky neighbourhood hosting the new boutique is called ‘Place Stephanie’, a place loved by the people of Brussels. For this project, Base and Erwin De Muer have been collaborating for more than a year, resulting in a wonderful new place for biscuit pilgrims.

Thierry Brunfaut, Creative Director & Partner

The first goal in setting up the new store was a simple one: induce desire, more and more. A pleasure for the senses: to look, smell, and above all, to taste.

Erwin De Muer, Designer

Also, the new boutique should be an extension of Dandoy’s universe and values : it’s not only about eating biscuits. It’s about the whole experience. The folded dot-lamps are designed by Brussels based artist Nathalie Dewez and is a wink at Dandoy’s visual language.

Léa Wolf, Designer

An long marble counter designed to look as if it were hanging is the new boutique’s signature. This custom-made element may become a recurrent eye-catcher in future Maison Dandoy boutiques. The counter serves as a display for the beautiful product range. It’s very simple: choose a box, pick your favourite biscuits, and taste!

Erwin De Muer, Designer

We created ‘takeaway’ packaging for the new boutique. The idea was to create a practical object that would bring drinks and biscuits together. After all, they are inseparable!

Thomas Leon, Designer

It is always a pleasure to enter the world of Maison Dandoy. Biscuits, coffee and smiles; the best combo thee is. Our photographer Lydie Nesvadba managed to capture this mood in a series of beautiful images.

Lola Philippart, Business Controller

Following the rebranding, Maison Dandoy increased their sales by more than 50%. Now, that’s tasty!

Fabian Jean Villanueva, Business Developer