Patties Foods will become the world’s biggest savoury pie bakery very soon.

The respected food brand and East Gippsland icon announced yesterday its acquisition of a Simplot building, land and equipment site in Pakenham with a target date of late March for operations to start at the additional site under the Patties Foods banner.

Patties Foods also announced a $20 million dollar expansion at the Bairnsdale bakery, making it the biggest savoury pie bakery in the world.

The company started as a small cake shop in Lakes Entrance more than 50 years ago and currently employs around 570 people and produces more than 300 different sweet and savoury products.

The new pie line is on track to be commissioned later this year, the expansion made possible by moving Patties Foods’ fruit production line to the new Pakenham site.

This acquisition will see Patties Foods’ Bairnsdale bakery continue to lead as the company’s specialist site for savoury baked goods, while the Pakenham site will produce chilled and sweet options. In addition, Patties Foods has secured a multi-year contract to manufacture Leggo’s pasta products for Simplot Australia. The Simplot contract is to be produced at the Pakenham site.

“As the world’s largest savoury pie maker, we are experiencing consistent, increasing demand for our products in Australia and abroad,” Patties Foods chief executive officer, Paul Hitchcock, said.

“As we grow, Patties Foods’ roots are firmly planted in the Bairnsdale community. We are proud of the hard work of Patties Foods employees, and the new state of the art pie line will greatly allow the Bairnsdale bakery to grow.”

By introducing this proposed structure, Patties Foods is strategically investing in the largest part of its business, frozen savoury, while ensuring Patties Foods’ sweets category also receives important investment and resourcing.

Patties Foods employee arrangements will not be impacted by the Pakenham site acquisition. Instead, the acquisition will allow for the creation of more jobs with Patties Foods over the next 12 months. Over the past 12 months, Patties Foods has experienced significant growth for the entire frozen savoury category. The acquisition will also further position the Patties Foods brand as a category leader in Australia.

Member for Gippsland East, Tim Bull, said “this company has to be our region’s greatest business success story”.

“At a time where drought was forcing hardship on all in the local economy, the Patties expansion as particularly good news,” he said.

PICTURED: Patties Foods general manager operations, Denis Gerrard, is excited to be part of the ever-expanding success story that is a win-win for the business, the towns it produces in and its employees.