The business that owns the brand, Maketū Foods Ltd, was placed into voluntary solvent liquidation last week.
Residents of Maketū — population 1311 in the 2023 Census — worry the brand will be lost and dozens of pie-makers will be out of a job.
It’s not the first time the town has faced the possibility.
They hope a buyer will save the day, as happened when Te Arawa Management Ltd bought the national pie supplier in 2019 during a receivership process.
The company, a subsidiary of the Rotorua-based Te Arawa Lakes Trust, has said it has operated at a loss since.
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At the time of the sale, 30 potential buyers were interested in the business, which then employed about 40 people, mostly locals.
