Why Buffalo?
We know there are a lot of words on this page but we thought some of you might like to know a bit more about where we're coming from and where we're going with it!
The name...
The genesis of the name "Buffalo Brownies" began with thoughts of American largesse...
Why have plain old chicken wings when you can have buffalo wings...?
Our brownies demand the highest quality ingredients so you receive the most comforting and decadent taste...
Why settle for what the supermarkets call a brownie when you can have Buffalo Brownies...?
We named our first flavour "Pioneer" to reflect the start of our exploration of the frontiers of brownie flavours. You hear "buffalo" and it evokes strong imagery of the Great Plains states in the US, of wild expanses, waiting to be explored and conquered. In such a place, no resource can be wasted so sustainable practices and efficient use of what you have is imperative. Those same explorers, the pioneers of American history, did another important thing: they took their families with them, to help colonise new lands. We hope you will join us on our journey as we discover new flavours and new ways of enjoying our brownies and blondies.
The concept...
The name Pioneer is also a reflection of our desire to distinguish between the mass-market cakes labelled as brownies and the true, gooey, American-style chocolate fudge brownie. We know that you can go into any high street supermarket these days and buy a tub of brownie bites for a couple of quid. It's quick and easy, something for the kids to graze upon but what you're getting there isn't really a brownie - it's more likely to be simply a slightly denser, standard chocolate cake, more cocoa powder, flour and preservatives than actual chocolate and fresh eggs. It's concerning to us to think that the general public assume this is all a brownie ever will be. We aim to change this perception. All of our recipes are made from pure ingredients (there are preservatives in there, but natural, ancient ones - sugar and salt - that enhance the flavour as well as provide longevity), handmade in small batches so as to preserve that premium, home-made texture and flavour; if you think of a brownie as more of a baked mousse and a blondie as baked fudge, you get the idea of what Buffalo Brownies consider to be the real thing. Come back, now, to the question we posed before:
Why settle for what the supermarkets call a brownie when you can have Buffalo Brownies...?
The ethics...
As pioneers, with luxurious riches waiting to be discovered, there follows a duty to leave the land as you found it and use ALL the beast that you consume; at Buffalo Brownies, we intend to place sustainability and efficient, principled usage of resources at the very core of our operation. Where possible, the raw materials which go into our products will be sourced locally from ethically-minded suppliers, or if due to their nature they must be sourced from afar, under fairtrade principles. Similarly, the majority of our packaging shall be made from recycled and recyclable materials (where we cannot use cardboard, some plastics will be employed, particularly for the important job of keeping in the luscious, chocolately goodness of the product!). With this, we come full circle back to the roots of this product in American lore - those pioneers knew that you couldn't just take the land and move on; if you want to have a place to build your home, with a warm kitchen and an oven to bake treats for your family, it's better to do that on fertile ground than in a wasteland. Our products are luxurious, a treat for the gourmande, but we staunchly believe that such decadence must be balanced with respect for our environment, a mindful eye on what precious resources are left and the desire to reuse or recycle those resources which can be reused or recycled. The premium you pay for our products over the offerings available in supermarkets is a reflection of this as much as a reflection of the quality of the raw materials that went in to each cake. It's all worth it.
NEW FOR AUTUMN 2019!
After eight years of operation, during which we have all seen rapidly-increasing awareness of the damage caused by single-use plastics, we intend to phase out the use of the only remaining non-recyclable plastic in our process. We have sourced a biodegradable version of the plastic we use to heat-seal our slices, both for online and direct sales on our stalls. The unit price is, inevitably, much higher than the oil-based equivalent we have used until now but we see it as incumbent on us (and you, the consumer) to demand more from luxury products such as our brownies. We already have environmental-friendliness built in to our processes - 100% solar power for our mixing, baking and heat-sealing activities, reusable silicone liners for our trays, recyclable cardboard cartons, made themselves of recycled materials, etc. - and this is the one, glaring omission in our efforts. The PLA (polylactic acid) employed is degradable in industrial composting processes, (as it requires a higher temperature than ambient for efficient degradation) so you should add the wrapper into your council composting scheme. The PLA is also recyclable via the plastic stream.
Klondike Klondike
Maple syrup
Connoisseur Connoisseur
80% cocoa solids chocolate
Buffalo Explorers
Oh dear God what do you people do in that kitchen?
Just got my first order, and am sitting sprawled in a post-Atomic haze, barely able to type.
Not only are they some of the best blondies I've ever had (oh, and they go great with a beer, by the way) but they came right through my letterbox less than two days after I ordered. Perfection!