6 | LUXlife Magazine Whatever Artiaga means to people, the common theme is that it is there. For almost all of its customers, it has been around their entire lives, and the bakery has even been known to serve families across multiple generations. Sometimes, it will prepare a cake for a child’s baptism, before being part of their 15th birthday years later. Later still, it might provide tasty treats for their wedding. Then, one day, that customer returns with a child of their own. And so the cycle continues, as it has for decades. This also means that Artiaga stands for something incredibly special in the eyes of the team here, who are very much aware that they no longer just make food, they are also making memories. Generations of customers are served by generations of the family behind the bakery, and the importance of this is certainly not lost on Marisol, who is an integral part of the latest generation to take the reins of this legacy. Growing up in Artiaga, this location is so much more than a bakery for Marisol. It is home. She started working here at the age of 14, initially on the weekends. This was where she did her learning, made mistakes, and ultimately laid the foundation for the person she is today. Continuing to work at Artiaga as she completed a degree in marketing, Marisol’s role today sees her make sure that every detail reflects the brand and what it stands for. That covers everything from the packaging of its baked goods to the design of the store and the way it communicates with its customers. But Marisol’s role is also about people, and she channels Artiaga’s belief that a strong brand can only be built by strong people. The bakery constantly invests in training and supporting its team, with meetings held weekly to share ideas, discuss challenges, and help the team to make decisions with confidence. Marisol told us: “We trust them, and give them the tools, confidence, and knowledge they need to reach their full potential.” The aim for Artiaga is to have leaders within the company who started their journey with it at the very bottom, before learning the craft, embracing its values, and growing into leaders and brand ambassadors over time. After all, when its people grow, Artiaga grows as well, and this has been a common theme throughout the bakery’s storied history. It is thanks to these initiatives that Artiaga has built a team of 60, all united around the values of hard work, consistency, and teamwork, as well as its clear vision of what the brand is and where it wants to go. There is no secret recipe behind success in an industry as competitive as this, and the excellence this bakery stands for is not something achieved once (although it does have numerous prizes in international baking competitions), it means showing up every single day with the exact same commitment. “Every loaf of bread, every medialuna, and every panettone represents the work of dozens of individuals who care deeply about what we do.” Crucially, excellence at Artiaga does not mean perfection. Making mistakes is part of the work, and Marisol believes that if you are afraid to make mistakes, then you will stop trying new things. And if you stop trying new things, then you stop learning. Since the bakery is passionate about exploring new ideas, improving its processes, and
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