THE owner of brands such as Four’n Twenty, Herbert Adams, Nana’s, Patties and Snowy River has produced a new rectangular meat pie.
The new pie resulted from focus group research carried out by the Patties Foods product development team.
The company retooled its Bairnsdale production line with new rectangular shaped, individual baking tins and reformulated low-fat pastry.
Designed for consumers ‘on the go,’ the rectangular shaped Traveller pie, in 100% lean beef and pizza flavours have sold more than 2.5 million since the launch early this year.
Concerns that the product might cannibalise the round pie market were alleviated when the pie doubled its budgeted sales, without impacting on sales of the traditional round pie from Four’n Twenty.
New flavours entering the market include pepper steak, chicken and vegetable and a breakfast egg and bacon.
With a National Heart Foundation tick and a National School Canteen accreditation, the Traveller appears to have extended the category’s reach.
“The fact that it is rectangular in shape, like a sausage roll, makes it easy to eat in one-hand,” Mr Bartholomew said.