The first of a large consignment of New Zealand-made pies from top selling gourmet pie brand I Love Pies is sailing across to Australia in a 40 foot long container.
Thousands of pies have been specially produced for I Love Pies by Goodtime Foods at its Napier bakery to meet an order from international membership warehouse club Costco. Costco warehouses in Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra and Adelaide will be stocking New Zealand’s I Love Pies products from September.
“We think Kiwis make some of the best meat pies in the world, so we thought we could share some of our pies with our friends across the Tasman,” says I Love Pies co-founder Jessie Stanley.
“We approached Costco about a year ago. They were interested in us supplying them because we have a focus on using high quality New Zealand ingredients. We don’t use any ‘nasties’ in our pies; they don’t contain any preservatives, MSG, palm oil, artificial flavours or colourings, and we only use NZ free range meat,” she says.
The pie flavours being produced for export are Angus Beef Mince and Onion, Angus Steak and Rosemary, Moroccan Lamb and Spinach, and Creamy Vegetable Korma. All flavours hero top quality New Zealand produce.
“Once we got the order we knew we had to partner with a company that were expert manufacturers and were up to the task of exporting. Goodtime Foods was a natural choice for us because of their dedication to quality, an impeccable manufacturing facility and focus on doing things the right way.”
Stanley went on to say the company felt they could work really well together with Goodtime Foods. “We hold similar values and are both really passionate about pies and importantly, we can share a laugh together – having that rapport is important to us too.”
Goodtime Foods managing director Phil Pollett says it’s been a lifetime goal to export the company’s products across the Tasman. “For us, a major focus for the future is to build an export-specific bakery capable of producing 50 million pies every year using our own designed and built pie machines.
“The entire Goodtime staff is excited to be involved with I Love Pies on this export project and it marks the beginning of what we hope will be an on-going and mutually beneficial relationship,” says Pollett.
To mark the occasion of the pie shipment leaving port, the first of five containers expected to leave Hawke’s Bay over the next couple of months, Napier Mayor Bill Dalton visited the team at the Goodtime bakery.
Mayor Dalton says: “As a connoisseur of pies, I am proud to acknowledge the outstanding success of local company Goodtime Foods. The relationship Pollett and his team are forging with gourmet pie brand I Love Pies will be fruitful for both companies.”
