Craftsmanship is something that consumers recognize it for. It's an authentic story about the ingredients used and the special process used to create the products. Remember that it's a story of culture (how it's made) and nature (what it's made of). My definition of handmade products would include products handmade with love and inspired by the creator's passion for their craft.
Handmade products are manufactured with great intention, from the initial concept to the process to wrapping them with love and sending them to you or putting them in your hands at a market stall. We can prioritize their creativity and talent in the market, and ensure that they can continue their craft as respected artisans with a fair wage and in a safe working environment. So, when you buy handmade products, you show your support for all of these initiatives. The hard part of figuring out what artisanal food is is that the term has become a kind of marketing buzzword that some companies or businesses use to make their products sound better than they are.
I am more than happy with that because I love creating handmade products for people who value the beautiful, slow and intentional process that it is. Craftsmanship is a dimension of quality, which implies that the narrative must have a deeper meaning that goes beyond putting a label on the package. Not to mention Domino's, there were several players in the pseudo-artisan scene before Domino's got on the train, such as Wendy's Artisan Egg Sandwich, Private Selection Artisan Breads from Ralphs stores and Artisan Breakfast Sandwiches from Starbucks. However, understanding the points listed above can help us decide how artisanal a product really is and what aspects of craftsmanship we value most.
Regarding the confusion about the term, many consumers tend to mispronounce artisan and, instead, say “arr-tee-zhun” (artesian), which means “belonging to or characteristic of an artesian well”. Most artisanal food companies are small and don't have big marketing budgets, so the chances of any typical family brand you can think of selling handmade items are very low. An artisan is someone who makes an item by hand and is generally an expert in their specific craft. More recently, the media, from the Los Angeles Times to the American artisanal newspaper itself, USA Today, have become aware of the excessive use of the term.
At Domino's you won't find special ground flours or wood ovens, which are normally associated with artisanal baking.
