AUSTRALIA-EXPORTING MEAT PIES.
IN culinary terms, trying to convince the gourmands and gastronomes of Europe of the pleasure in devouring a humble Aussie meat pie could be seen as an insult.
But that’s exactly what pie maker Vili’s is set to try as it uses the recession to launch a pie assault on palates from Russia to the fans at soccer’s lucrative Premier League circuit in England.
The gourmet pie maker two years ago tried to take on the hotdog-loving US market with mixed success but has now appointed a European manager to spearhead a drive into Europe, which is experiencing an unprecedented boom in fast-food sales, The Daily Telegraph reports.
Newly appointed UK sales manager Josh Farmer said about 2500 Vili’s pies were already being eaten each weekend during home games at the Fulham soccer club ground in London, but distribution was being set up elsewhere. "It’s hard because there are a lot of meat pie companies here, a lot of pie companies in general, but we think we’ve got something different so we are giving it a crack and getting out there and trying some sales," Mr Farmer said yesterday.
"We’ve got interest now from Bulgaria, a distributor in Scotland, we’ve sent a Vili’s Russian container over there going through Customs now, samples sent to France and Germany and we have a couple of guys in Holland looking to set something up."
In Bulgaria, the high quality of Australian produce largely free of artificial additives is being used as a marketing tool.
