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Danbury Couple Bring A Meaty Taste Of Australia To Fairfield County

DANBURY, Conn. -- Two Australians who are now living in Danbury have brought a bit of "home" to Fairfield County.

John and Bernadette Hayes, right, with Mayor Mark Boughton of Danbury, in the PenPies factory.

John and Bernadette Hayes, right, with Mayor Mark Boughton of Danbury, in the PenPies factory.

Photo Credit: Submitted

Bernadette and John Hayes are the owners of PenPies, an authentic Australian meat pie business that, in a span of less than a year is booming. The business officially took off in March 2015.

The idea had been on the burner (no pun intended) years ago when John, who traveled to the U.S. for business, had fielded inquiries from Americans who had been to Australia about starting a meat pie business. After researching the market, he decided a wholesale venture was, indeed, viable.

"In Australia there are 500 million pies sold each year to a 22 million population," said John. "With the many similarities between the two countries we believe they will be well accepted into the marketplace."

What makes the pies attractive is that they are wholesome and make for a healthy option to fast food. "Our pies are baked, not fried, and are fully cooked and ready to heat and eat," said Bernadette. They are sold frozen and have a shelf life of six months. 

Best of all, they contain true local flavor. The Hayes' told Daily Voice the pies are made with 25 percent beef sourced in Danbury. The meat is slow cooked in a gravy with seasoning and spices to ensure the meat is tender and the flavor absorbed. 

"Our pies are fully cooked, sold frozen and only require reheating; they are fresh and ready to eat in 15 minutes," said Bernadette. "You can eat the pie held in your hand or you can serve it with vegetables, fries or a salad for a full meal."

And though the true Aussie Meat Pie has only one flavor, the couple has diversified by adding cheese to create the Aussie Style Meat Pie with Cheese, added black pepper to make the Aussie Style Meat Pie with Black Pepper as well as other varieties including The Texan with Chili and Beans and the Bacon and Egg Pie. 

Said John: "Word is spreading that they are tasty, nutritious, quick to heat and enjoy. Customers who have tried the pies quickly come back for more stock reporting that their teenage children have eaten them all, and shared them with their friends."

Go to www.penpies.com/ for more information.

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