Pies & Pastries – Pies: convenience perfected
Delicious, nutritious and great value for money, pies are the perfect response to the consumer trend towards greater convenience and meals-on-the-go. BakerSA takes a look at the developments and the players in the local market.
One of the biggest consumer trends driving the food industry today is the demand for convenience. And in the current economic climate, value for money is a critical factor in consumer buying decisions. With millions of pies sold in South Africa every day, it is clear that pies fulfill the demand for convenience and value for money in a delicious and often nutritious way.
The pie market is never a dull or stagnant market and when it comes to innovation and experimentation, it surely must be one of the leaders in the convenience food industry. The whole convenience food market is rapidly changing and pie suppliers need to identify the relevant trends early not to give up market share to other convenience food products. But as we move forward into a future with changing tastes and demands one can be sure that there will be new offerings that will stir the market.
Indeed, pie manufacturers are at the forefront of innovations, as evidenced by the incredible range of pies available today, catering to every conceivable taste or craving. No longer are the faithful steak and kidney pies or the chicken mushroom pies the standard option.
Pies today are adventurous and interesting, and consumers could literally eat a pie each day of the month and still not try all of the variations available –
Here are but a few examples from some of the leading players in the market.
RFG Foods has a growing portfolio of strong and resilient brands which include Rhodes Quality, Bull Brand, Squish, Pakco, Hinds, Southern Coating and Bisto as well as their Bakery brands; Magpie, Today, Mama’s, Big Jack and Man’s Meal.
When it comes to RFG Bakery products, quality and innovation is a given. With a delicious and versatile frozen range, they provide homemade goodness for all occasions with different formats such as pies, sausage rolls, puffs and raw pastry. Each product is designed with you in mind, making sure you can get a quality product at the right time, every time.
RFG Foods has a range of Magpie Unbaked Pies including Pepper Steak Pie, Steak & Kidney Pie, Beef Steak Pie, Chicken & Mushroom Pie, Roast Chicken Pie, Cornish Pasty, Spinach & Feta Pasty, Beef Sausage Roll, Chicken Sausage Roll and a range of mini pies and puffs. The unbaked pies are sold baked-off at hot counters.
RFG Foods has 2 pre-baked pie ranges , Big Jack and Man’s meal.
PIEMAN’S – With delightfully authentic pastry, generous fillings and satisfying flavours – it’s no wonder PIEMAN’S is SA’s Number One Pie! For over 30 years, PIEMAN’S has helped South Africans satisfy their hunger with our cherished recipes, superior quality and tummy-fill that hits the spot every time!
King Pie is a major player in the retail market . Today, The King Pie Group consists of over 300 franchises and forms part of the Bidvest Group Limited.
While King Pie has undergone transformation during the past 27 years, the group has evolved to become the established and well-loved company it is today, with stores across South Africa and the SADC region. King Pie operates world class food systems in the factories that are Export, Halaal and HACCP certified. It is their vision to remain the leading pie brand and a superlative business in South Africa and neighbouring countries where they have a strong footprint.
Large Pies – chicken / pepper steak / steak & kidney / salami & cheese / spinach & feta / cornish / steak & onion / sausage roll / mutton curry (at selected stores only)
Double Filla Pies – pepper steak / steak & kidney / steak & cheese/ chicken mushroom / chicken mayo / Butter Chicken / Chicken ALA King / Spicy Beef
Burger Pies – Beef burger / Chicken burger / Peri-peri chicken burger / Prego beef burger
Footlong Rolls – Boerie roll / Russian roll
Just Pies – Our pies are not only tasty, they also represent a sensible choice as we use no meat substitutes and no trans fatty acid pastry, thereby supplying the consumer with a great quality and wholesome pie. We offer 24 flavours and varieties to choose from to satisfy a wide range of pallets.
We are also certified halaal by SANHA.
Having grown consistently each year, we now produce thousands of pies every day for delivery to customers across KwaZulu-Natal, together with excellent service and consistency.
QUANTITIES IN BOXES
Premier Frozen X 30 per box
Puff Frozen X 40 per box
Cornish Pasty Frozen X 36 per box
Sausage Rolls Frozen X 35 per box
Cheese Grillers Frozen X 35 per box
Cocktail Sausage Rolls Frozen X 200 per box
Burger Pies Frozen X 30 per box
2 kg Pastry Rolls X 5 per box
Baked pies X 20 per box
Shamrock Pies – is a privately owned family business and was founded by an Irish confectioner in 1973. Through his attention to detail he perfected the “Shamrock Pie” we still know and love today. The owners Tony and Grazia Linden bought the business in June 2000, and in the following year moved to a larger and more central premises in Braelyn East London which remains the sole production facility.
Shamrock Pies currently manufactures 10 variants of pies : Steak, Chicken, Curry Steak, Pepper Steak, Cornish Pasty, Beef Sausage Roll, Tandoori Chicken, Cheesy Spinach & Potato, Steak & Kidney and Chicken Sausage Roll. These pies are supplied to the local area freshly baked six days a week, but are also sold in frozen form to local and outlying areas to be baked on sight as demand requires.
Shamrock pastry is unique, not only is it crisp and tasty but it microwaves well to keep its crispness and delicious flavour. Another positive is the ratio of filling to total weight of the pie, this is close to 66% which means that the consumer is eating filling on the first delicious bite.
Continental Pies – Continental Pies is a South African manufacturer and distributor of a wide range of quality frozen pastry products. Our products are of a high standard, cost effective and convenient. Our extensive range includes puff pastry, phyllo pastry, samosas, spring rolls, risolles and more.
Our product range includes Beef Sausage Rolls, Chicken Sausage Rolls, Chicken & Mushroom Pies, pepper Steak Pies, Cocktail Chicken Pies, Cocktail Bobotie Pies, Cocktail Cheese Grillers in Puff Pastry and Vetkoek & Mince
Iqlaas Foods has an exciting range of Halaal pies including Chicken Tikka, Chicken Tandoori, Cottage Pie and Chicken Sausage Roll, they also supply mini pies.
Home of the Chicken Pie, still very much a family concern, offers more than just their speciality chicken pies, with variants including a chicken roll, a chicken jalapeno pie and a pepper steak pie.
But what makes a pie delicious and nutritious?
Puff Pastry –
It seems there is consensus in the industry that the pastry is key to a great pie. Puff pastry – light flaky multi-layered pastry that delivers a delicious, almost crispy, pastry crust – is used by most manufacturers.
Puff pastry is prepared by arranging the pastry dough and the margarine in alternate layers and then, through a repeated process of rolling out, folding and rolling out again, a large number of fine layers are built up. In the final dough, before baking, up to 250 separate layers may have been formed. Baking is carried out in a hot oven and as the temperature rises, the water in the pastry vaporises, but is inhibited from escaping by the thin layers of unmolten fat. As a result, the pastry layers are forced apart to give the crisp characteristic layered texture.
As a result, the fat used in puff pastry must therefore be somewhat tough and very plastic, so that it can be rolled out repeatedly without mixing into the dough. A special fat, normally found in margarine, is required, since butter does not have sufficient ‘plasticity’ for use in puff pastry – it melts too quickly to give the best lamination results.
Butter should be fractionated to ensure better plasticity, and fractionated butter is now commercially available for puff pastry applications. A quality puff pastry margarine such as Pastrex has a high level of ‘plasticity’ and is made up of a blend of fats with varying melting points. This allows some of the fat to melt early in the baking process and the rest of the fat to only melt later on, to ensure the pastry layers separate out correctly and do not collapse back again.”
PASTREX is a 100% vegetable oil based puff pastry margarine, perfect for croissants, pastries and pies.
Pastrex is available from FAMASONS and Relianz Foods.
Famasons – is a proudly South African business, established in 2003 by a family team of passionate, food industry professionals who are obsessive about pursuing the quest for Ingredients of absolute quality and perfection.
Relianz Foods – We are suppliers of quality wholesale bakery ingredients, bakery products, food ingredients and bakery supplies to bakeries, food manufacturers and top retail brands. We are a proudly family-owned and managed business, who prides itself on our dedication to service and attention to detail.
Pie Fillings –
But the importance of the pastry by no means overshadows the importance of a quality, tasty filling. The secret, it seems, is to use only the best cuts of meat and ingredients, including fresh veggies and the best blends of herbs and spices. The list of what should not be in a pie is somewhat longer and includes MSG’s, preservatives, additives, fat, sinew, meat substitutes such as soya, or meat that has been tumbled to add mass before cooking.
Generosity is another success factor – the pastry to filling ratio is crucial and some manufacturers believe it should be as close to one to one as possible.
Once you have the perfect pastry and a delicious filling, things can still go wrong if the pie is not assembled correctly to ensure the filling does not leak out, making the pastry soggy and messy.
Pie Making Equipment –
The right equipment, including pastry sheeters, pie blocking and lidding machines is crucial.
BAKERSMATE Bakery & Food Equipment head office and factory is based in Durban with a branch in Cape Town and with over 45 years in the Bakery industry, has become one of the most respected suppliers in Africa.
Bakersmate / “ PIE-MATE “ manufactures a range of pie production machinery suitable for any pie business – from the small home business producing less than 500 pies per day to larger concerns. The range includes manual and pneumatic blocking and lidding / crimping machines, all manufactured in #304 stainless steel and food grade Polypropylene.
BAKERSMATE also supplies manual & hydraulic dough dividers and manufactures an affordable heavy duty table-top model pastry sheeter which allows for the sheeting of pastry for pies and other products.
A range of Biscuit wire cutters and automatic Cookie depositing machines are available
In addition to the equipment, the company also provides the original ‘BAKE-A-TAINER ‘ container bakery solutions to individuals as well as corporate caterers.
For more info contact – Errol 082 490 4413 / Wendy 060 306 1708
[email protected] / [email protected]
Pie Foil Containers
With regard to the packaging, pie foil containers remain the most popular solution and for good reason.
It is 100% recyclable, and the pies can be assembled, baked, displayed and served in the same convenient, hygienic and attractive container. Pie containers are available in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, including round, oval, square or fluted containers, shallow or deep containers with a standard or wide flange, or, if required and depending on the quantities, foil containers custom made to any specification.
It is also possible to print, lacquer and emboss the material for branding and for product identification purposes. Specific product descriptions can be printed onto the foil container, or the container can be lacquered in a solid colour for easy product identification.
These pie foil containers are available from Hulamin and The Baking Tin.
The Baking Tin – has developed into a major player in the industry supplying large and small businesses throughout South Africa.
We specialize in servicing the baking, hospitality and catering industries and are able to offer a wide range of products that are not only competitively priced but also of exceptional quality.
In the Western Cape we have three retail stores in Claremont, Milnerton and our flagship store in Ottery. In addition to our retail stores we also offer online purchasing via our website.
Hulamin – Leaders in Aluminium Food Containers
Our Aluminium Food Containers & Foil are manufactured in South Africa
The superior characteristics of aluminium, together with the wide variety of lid types and print options, make Hulamin’s range of aluminium foil containers ideal for food packaging. Established in 1975, Hulamin Containers is the preferred manufacturer and supplier of foil containers and related products in South Africa and abroad.
