Piemaker invests in export-rated plant
Goodtime Pies's new plant upgrades.
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Hawke’s Bay baker Goodtime Pies has invested almost $3 million in plant upgrades and staff training to bring the operation up to export standard.
More than $660,000 was spent on a new freezer complex and a further $2 million on other improvements, new machinery and equipment.
“We gutted the entire bakery, re-wired and re-plumbed it completely and then re-lined walls and ceilings with refrigeration panels so that we could temperature control the entire bakery to the best temperature for pie making,” says managing director Phil Pollett (pictured above).
“We included LED lighting throughout, which saves us 80% on our lighting bill and, along with other technical changes, have reduced our power bill by 40% overall.
“We also built, ventilated and temperature controlled our dedicated pastry room to control flour in the air. This makes it more comfortable for staff and minimises flour dust getting in to equipment and up their noses.”
Goodtime Pies closed for two weeks for the renovations and has put the staff through training courses to manage an export rated bakery.
It has also spent $240,000 on improved staff facilities.
“We already have significant national contracts with the likes of Z Energy, and several other national clients,” Mr Pollett says. “By bringing our plant up to export standard international contracts are our next goal.”
Goodtime Pies was founded in Napier in 1978, initially making about 30,000 pies, a year. Today it makes nearly 10 million pies with the Christchurch bakery adding another million pies.
Nevil Gibson for NBR Food Industry Week
Fri, 14 Nov 2014
Fri, 14 Nov 2014
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Piemaker invests in export-rated plant
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