T.K. Khaleel The Baker's Tale

When a skilled baker reaches the level of executive chef in any establishment, the role quickly becomes not only about culinary skills, but also leadership skills. The ability to lead, inspire and mentor a brigade of staff in the heated kitchen environment is vital for any successful executive chef. A living proof to this statement can be attributed to T. K. Khaleel, Managing Director at Artisan Bakers.

Under his skilled hands, Artisan Bakers has come to demonstrate and aggressively perfect, the commitment of having fun, sharing liberally with others, building robust and stimulating bakeries, baking exceptional quality bread, pastries and cakes, and cheerfully serving its customers. The brand’s success comes from a strong commitment to sustain the legacy and integrity of the Artisan Baker brand with its emphasis on the customer experience, and the promise of handcrafted incredible tasting products, made with freshly-milled whole grains unified with pure and simple ingredients.

Khaleel embodies this truth, hailed not just for his handling of ingredients, but his place in the kitchen, with his colleagues describing him as ‘an inspiration’. Emerging from a modest background in India to building a solid business in a foreign land, his story has all the trappings of a blockbuster movie.

Known as a trendsetter in the baking industry, Khaleel strikes the perfect balance between age-old techniques in baking along with the latest advancements from every part of the globe. His commitment to his work reflects in his products — which truly are unparalleled in quality, creativity and variety. After 40 successful years in the baking industry, Khaleel is all set for a fresh beginning, a new adventure. Channelling 40 years of experience, tricks of the trade and success, Khaleel will be adopting the franchise route and rolling out 100 outlets of Artisan Bakers throughout the GCC region.

Khaleel started his career as a baker 40 years back, his passion and ambitions leading him to become a leader in the baking industry internationally.

Khaleel’s Vision for Artisan Bakers

Artisan Bakers is powered by the inexhaustible passion of Khaleel and his team. Each pastry, each loaf of bread, each creation and invention holds the investment of immense thought, skill and effort. With Artisan Bakers, Khaleel aims to outdo his previous achievements and raise the bar in the industry.

Today, the company has a strong presence in the UAE and Qatar. With a workforce that is 800-employee strong, world-class manufacturing amenities and a rapidly growing retail division through ventures and partnerships, there is no looking back for Khaleel.

His vision is to make Artisan Bakers the epitome of excellence in the industry — and to transform this venture into a global leader in total bakery solutions. He plans to steer this enterprise ahead with a focus on customer satisfaction, creating a healthy workplace environment and building a dependable, known brand that tirelessly strives for innovation.

Artisanal baking is a niche style of baking that has been adopted and elevated for centuries. For an artisan baker, baking something is nothing short of creating art. Using the simplest of ingredients such as flour, yeast, water and salt, artisanal bakers dedicate time, patience and effort to create everything by hand. This philosophy has been imbibed in Artisan Bakers, where Khaleel’s handpicked team produces each creation with attention to detail, quality, tradition and authenticity.

As the demand for premium quality food products — organic, healthy and vegan - has tremendously increased, Artisan Bakers finds a competitive edge in the market. As the company pays significant attention to high-quality raw materials, and organic produce and concurrently utilises traditional and modern baking methods, it is set to make its mark in the market and the hearts of consumers. This growth has been projected at a CAGR of 5.6 per cent from 2021-2030.

The sourdough starters have to be a minimum of 10 years old –Khaleel’s sourdough starter is a 16-year-old sample. The recipe for the starter is a culmination of his passion for baking good bread. Today, it is Exhibit No. 128 in the library. Khaleel also added that he is the only Asian to be awarded this honour – which is generally dominated by European bakers. This award not only celebrates his commitment to his craft but also signals the advent of Asian recognition in the baking industry.