If it were needed, proof that Brioche Pasquier’s products can hold their own in a demanding market comes in the form of the pastry chef who joined as a temp 11 years ago and has recently taken over as Managing Director of the company’s UK operation.
Alain Vivion was invited to extend his temporary position at Brioche Pasquier’s home in Les Cerqueux in western France and spend some time training employees at its Milton Keynes UK headquarters. Seizing the opportunity to improve his English, he agreed to give it three years. That was in 2016. From his training role he moved on to become a quality assurance technician, then a production line manager and, in 2025 was appointed Industrial Director.
“It all started when I was working as a pastry chef in a small bakery and I wanted to find out more about larger scale production and how goods were made in a factory,” said Alain. “For me, what I liked was that what Brioche Pasquier does is led by exactly the same techniques as in a traditional French bakery. The quality of the products is very high, there are no preservatives even though they have a long shelf life, and the production methods are the same, just on a larger scale.
“I agreed to come here for three years to learn English, but it has been a little bit different in the end. It has been good to see Brioche Pasquier grow over those years, we have another production line set to open later this year, and although the first few weeks as Managing Director have been a bit of a whirl, I’m very excited.”
Brioche Pasquier was established in 1974 and has grown to become one of the best-known food brands in France. It has expanded into Belgium, Italy, US and Spain, as well as Milton Keynes, where it opened its first UK production plant in 2015.
Each production site has its own sourdough – a levain – that dates back to Gabriel Pasquier’s first bakery in the 1930s. It is refreshed each day in the factories throughout the world and added to that day’s dough, where its unique combination of bacteria and acidity helps enhance the flavours of the butter or vanilla and gives the products their unique texture.
It is also a major factor in how Brioche Pasquier can ensure its products, in a range that includes plain and chocolate chip brioche rolls, Pitch brioche rolls, croissants, pain au chocolat and pancakes, have a shelf life of at least 24 days without the use of any preservatives.
When the UK’s fourth production line opens in Milton Keynes, it will be dedicated to the production of pain au chocolat. Alain explained: “When it is fully functioning it will be producing something like 34,000 products per hour. Consumers are always looking for something different to try, we already have a fantastic range, but we cannot stand still. People are curious and we must always try to give them something new. We have just added blueberry flavour to the Pitch range, for instance, and there are other flavours in the pipeline.
“I think savoury products are something we will be looking at. Our range has been just sweet items up to now, but again, tastes are changing and we are looking at different products. I can’t say too much more about that now, but we know we need to innovate.”
Every Brioche Pasquier site throughout the world has the same ethos, to be situated close to its customer base and to become a part of the community within which it operates. In Milton Keynes, that is evident in the amount of sponsorship and support it offers to sports clubs, charities, community events and awards, including the Milton Keynes Education Awards.
The company was recently nominated in the Outstanding Community Engagement category the Food Manufacture Excellence Awards 2026 Connection with the community is part of the company’s growth strategy and links with education, in large part through the association with the Milton Keynes Education Awards and the Northamptonshire Education Awards, has seen more than 900 children from schools across the region take a tour of the factory in the past year.
“It is important for us to get children in and show them what we do here and the opportunities that are available,” said Alain. “The older ones might get some idea about their future careers – we have taken people on as a result of their interest after visiting the factory – and the younger ones are always keen to taste some products and give us feedback, which is also very important to us.
“We train people and give them the opportunity to build their career; they might be bakers, but they might also be engineers, technicians or IT support, there are many roles and we need local, skilled people to keep producing our ranges.” Alain stepped into the Managing Director role on the departure of Ryan Peters, who spent eight years with Brioche Pasquier, including four year as Managing Director, and did a great deal to build the company’s brand within the community.
Looking to the future, Alain sees that ethos continuing, combined with further growth of the name further afield. “Milton Keynes is not just a local business, it is Brioche Pasquier’s UK factory and we need to serve the whole of the country as well our community,” said Alain. “Maybe in a few years, when we have five lines and our factory is at capacity, we might look at another site in the UK.
“It’s a busy market and we are using social media to target the younger generation; our products are so convenient because they have the traditional taste and quality but with a long life. You can keep a pack in your bag or desk for a snack, which you can’t do with a freshly baked pastry.”
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