One of New Zealand’s best-known pie brands will stop production this week, after its owner tried for weeks to find a buyer for the 44-year-old Maketū business and failed.
Maketū Pies owner Montana Group said today that production at its Bay of Plenty factory would end on Friday, with the loss of 21 jobs.
The company will prepare the site for closure before the lease runs out in December.
Montana Group chief executive Lizzi Pearson said the result was disappointing for staff and everyone connected to the brand.
"Obviously this is not the outcome we had hoped for."
Pearson said several parties had shown strong interest in buying Maketū Pies.
However, the short transition period, and the challenge of moving production into existing facilities, was too difficult for them, she said.
"When it became clear that ongoing production at the Maketū factory was no longer sustainable, we put all our efforts into finding a pathway forward for the brand."
A local family founded the business in 1982. Its pies went on to become a fixture in dairies, service stations and supermarkets around the country.
It changed hands several times in recent years. It went into receivership before Te Arawa Management Ltd bought it in 2019, then went into voluntary solvent liquidation in 2024 after continued losses.
Montana Group bought the brand in December 2024 and launched a turnaround plan, including a major brand refresh. However, Pearson said the ageing factory remained a major constraint and would have needed a complete rebuild for the business to grow.
"I want to acknowledge the incredible effort and dedication that the team has put into returning the brand to its former glory.
"We are so proud of what we have collectively achieved in less than two years."
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