Andersons Pies 3.04

HISTORY IN THE MAKING

Baking in the Anderson family started in the 1930’s when Joe and Nita Anderson purchased the bakery in Whangamomana.

From the age of five, Brian Anderson took a keen interest in his fathers bakery and as soon as he was able, was assisting his father wherever he could; making everything from breads and buns to cakes and pies.

In 1964, Brian purchased the Black Cat Café on High Street in Hawera, deciding to make his own piece of baking history; selling the pie in the retail store which Andersons have become famous for. The bakery became so popular, with the demand for these high quality pies going through the roof, inquiries from local dairies started to come in, with requests for wholesale pie purchases. The year was 1965 and the foundations of Andersons Pies had been formed. With increasing demand came the need to increase the size of production and the premise. As a result, Brian moved the business next door to larger premises in 1968, changing the business name to Andersons Pies.

With the business growing, Brian employed his son Mark in 1979. In 1982, Brian purchased the building on Princes Street, where the current Andersons Pies bakery and store still stands today. With demand increasing for quality products, the business expanded to include outside catering services which has become a mainstay for many local events and functions; including weddings, parties, twenty first’s and many other events which require the two key factors required for a fantastic event; great people and great food.

As demand grew, Brian employed another two of his sons … Grant and Phillip. Another was added in 1986 when Brendan joined the team. Since 1982, the current Andersons Pies building has undergone a number of extensions. The latest of which included a new retail store, a separate butchery where the fresh meat is prepared on-site, a dedicated chilled packing room, as well as new offices and workspace. Now representing a state of the art bakery, the premise is geared to produce up to 100,000 pies per week, providing a variety of jobs for the local community.

In 2000, a partnership was formed between Brian and the four sons working at Andersons Pies. The business continues to thrive, employing 30 staff members and looking towards the future.

TIMELINE

– 1964: Brian purchased the Black Cat Café and started to bake his own pies for retail
– 1965: Brian started supplying pies on a wholesale basis to local dairies
– 1968: Brian moved the business to larger premises, next door to the Black Cat Café; changing the business name to Andersons Pies
– 1979: Son Mark was employed
– 1982: The business was relocated to the current site on Princes Street and they started catering for functions and events
– 1982: Sons Grant and Phillip were employed
– 1986: Son Brendan was employed
– 2000: A business partnership was formed between Brian and his four sons (Mark, Grant, Phillip and Brendan)