A Kiwi pie in Dubai? You betcha.
Our favourite pastry is taking Auckland pie maker Eddie Grooten into far-flung markets and since September his company, Dad's Pies, has exported almost 370,000 pies to Hong Kong, Korea, Vietnam, Australia and Dubai.
Dad's Pies has been around for more than 25 years and while Dutch immigrant Grooten says the domestic market is steady, he reckons offshore is the way to go.
His most recent success is Dubai and there is a deal in the pipeline that could get the Yanks munching on mince and cheese too.
New Zealand Trade and Enterprise got the company a foothold in Dubai, Grooten says, and it's been all go since then.
"We sold 24,000 pies in just a few days.
"They are extremely happy, we haven't had a single negative comment."
Why did you become an entrepreneur?
That's a big word, entrepreneur. I believe that it is a development. In some respects you become one by default only because you have an idea or become passionate about a product or service. I believed that we should be the best in pie making . . . To achieve that, you need to invest and that is where you become an entrepreneur . . . you work your butt off and risk everything.
What have been the biggest obstacles in running your company?
Finding the right equipment for the right price. If you don't know your stuff you pay too much. The biggest obstacle is financing your investment before you have a return.
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