A Prince Edward Island hand pie company is finding success both at home and in other parts of Canada. The Hand Pie Company is a woman-owned business enterprise (WBE) based in Albany, P.E.I., that began back in 2017. Founder and Red Seal chef Sarah Bennetto O’Brien says it all began with her love of the “Outlander” book series. “There’s actually a chef who made a cookbook based on all the foods mentioned in Outlander and that’s how I was introduced to Brianna’s Bridies which was her recipe for a hand pie,” Bennetto O’Brien says. “So I took her recipe, went to the market in Summerside and I bought all local ingredients, made the recipe and as soon as I bit into it, I wondered why no one had been doing this in Prince Edward Island before.” Her creations are a spin on a Cornish pasty. The personal handheld savoury pies are sold individually and cooked from frozen in an air fryer or oven. They are available in 13 wholesale varieties, all made with local organic whole wheat flour. “And in Sobeys all across the Maritimes you can find up to 10 different varieties in the grocery store shelves,” says Bennetto O’Brien. They are also available at Atlantic Superstore locations, Pete’s in Halifax and Dominon stores in Newfoundland. “And we’ve actually just launched into Ontario in four locations of Longo’s,” she adds. Some of the Hand Pie Company’s popular flavours include All Day Breakfast, Maritime Meat Pie and Bacon Cheeseburger. For more P.E.I. news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
