Christine Whelan, FEO March 17, 2022, VOL. 3 ISSUE 15
The Pie Guys in Port Colborne are expanding their menu and their space — and they can hardly wait!
Rob Carter and Brennon Zwingli decided to “get out of the rat race” of Toronto and set out to the Niagara area, never to look back. They both agreed that they fell in love with the house they found in Port Colborne and presently live in. They also fell in love with the community. The house just happened to be on the same street they discovered their bakery site, West Street.
Rob shared, “We were kind of looking for something to do and a pie shop came up for sale. Over the last three years, we’ve taken the pie shop and developed it into a full line bakery and cafe.”
This was not an impulsive decision made, but more a synchronistic response to a combination of two passions.
Brennon explained, “I’ve been very passionate about baking since I was a child. I’m more of a hobby baker. I don’t necessarily have a professional background in baking. I remember when I first met Rob, he told me one of his interests was to eventually own a little coffee shop.” So when the pie shop became available, they grabbed the opportunity.
Describing the beginning of that experience as “throwing themselves into the fire”, they purchased the pie shop and took it over two weeks prior to Canal Days.
Brennon mentioned that they have actually grown passed Rob’s expectations. When I asked Rob his thoughts on that statement, he responded, not with a mere agreement, but with the reason, he felt, behind the truth of Brennon’s statement. “We’ve been fortunate with the growth we’ve had during COVID. I have to say, it’s because of the community we live in. We are so supported by our community.”
Then they stumbled across the Ridgeway listing online and instantly saw it as an amazing space. They especially liked the patio in the front. The look of the building itself fits into the look and feel of what we’ve tried to develop with their Port Colborne brand.
This would be their second location
“One of the reasons we chose Ridgeway for our next location, we now, in Port Colborne, have people who drive from Ridgeway, Crystal Beach, Fort Erie,” Rob shared. He added that their customers have also been travelling from as far as Niagara-on-the-Lake.
Brennon and Rob have developed a bit of a customer base in Ridgeway already. “We’ve actually done the Ridgeway Farmers Market for the last two years. It was one of our best markets. We always sold out every Saturday. So, when we stumbled upon this lease, it was a no-brainer for us.”
They walked into the building at 238 Ridge Road N., the house, turned into a restaurant space across from Beachcombers, and within ten seconds they both admitted, they knew they were going to take it.
As written on The Pie Guys’ website, “Following a dream to make hand-made baked goods with ingredients sourced from local farmers, we continually strive to deliver an amazing selection of quality items in a rustic farmhouse environment. Specializing in fruit & savoury pies, our signature pastry is made from scratch and all our pies are hand rolled and hand assembled each day.”
Rob mentioned that the new location is bigger than their location in Port Colborne. “The model in Ridgeway will be exactly what we’ve done in Port Colborne. The one additional thing about the new location is the front patio. In Port Colborne, we have the street patio so we’re quite limited.
“We’re really going to expand our lunch menu. We’ve slowly brought in a frozen food section. And we’re now licenced. We’re going to expand in different areas because we will have space now.”
“We have a very strong team behind us.” They both agreed.
When the Pie Guys first started, when they purchased the pie shop, there were just two people running it. Rob and Brennon took over those two positions and brought in two more, so they had a team of four. Now, in their Port Colborne location, they’re up to 14 people, hiring three to four more in the summer. “This is exciting for us because we are contributing to the community by offering jobs.”
The day of this interview was also the first day of the interviews for hiring at The Pie Guys. They are going to train all of the Ridgeway people at the Port Colborne location first so they are prepared and ready when the Ridgeway location opens.
Rob and Brennon are looking at opening their Ridgeway location in mid-April. They are “super-excited and looking forward to the opening. We’re going to have a grand opening. Mayor Redekop is going to come out, do a ribbon-cutting.”
The guys remarked on how they are also looking forward to meeting everyone in Ridgeway and the Greater Fort Erie area, to being a part of the downtown Ridgeway experience, including the Ridgeway festivals that will essentially play out in their front yard.
Check out The Pie Guys Bakery & Cafe Facebook Page. It changes daily with a changing menu.
Or visit www.thepieguysbakery.com
Photos provided by The Pie Guys
