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THE MARKET
They say a nation’s culture is often defined by its
cuisine. In Australia, the quintessential national
food is the meat pie, and the national meat pie of
choice is Four’N Twenty.
There are few more iconic Australian brands
than Four’NTwenty. Four’NTwenty isAustralia’s
favourite pie, being sold in supermarkets, grocery
stores, service stations, convenience stores,
sporting venues, cafes, canteens, schools and
events across the country. Synonymous with sport,
particularly AFL football and NRL rugby, Four’N
Twenty is the people’s pie, and has been for nearly
60 years.
It has been said that Australians are the worlds
biggest meat pie eaters per head of population,
consuming over 12 meat pies each per year, and a
further 17 combined pasties, sausage rolls and party
pies.
Four’N Twenty is the Number 1 brand
in theAustralian retail frozen savoury
segment, with over 25% share of a
marketworth$199millionin2006.
Four’N Twenty is one of
Patties Foods Ltd’s portfolio of
leading brands, manufactured at
the company’s state-of-the-art
production facility in Bairnsdale,
regional Victoria, and distributed
nationally.
The company is well equipped
to anticipate consumer trends and
develop new products that
respond to themrapidly. Innovation
is a key focus within the business,
along with an unwavering commitment to using
the highest quality ingredients and processes.
It is this passion for high quality product that
has enabled Patties Foods to further enhance
Four’NTwenty’s reputation andmarket leadership.
ACHIEVEMENTS
Since the first Four’NTwenty pie was produced in
1947, the brand has grown to become Australia’s
most popular pie, a name both recognised and
respected by millions of Australians.
Mention Four’N Twenty to any Australian and
you are likely to see an instant recognition. Recent
market research showed 76% of Australians had
unprompted recognition of the brand. This grows
to 99%when prompted!
Four’N Twenty has built a reputation for being
“The Great Australian Taste”. Having a pie at the
“footy” has become anAustralian tradition. One in
every four people that attend a football match in
Australia will consume a Four’NTwenty pie.
At the home of Australian Rules Football, the
MCG, Four’N Twenty has been the official pie
supplier since 1958.
Four’NTwenty has also built a strong affiliation
with community and sporting groups over the years,
and has enjoyed successful relationships with
many major events. Four’N Twenty are currently
major supporters of Australian Rules Football,
National Rugby League, snow skiing and snow
boarding and other outdoor events such as the
Deniliquin UteMuster and Rip Curl Pro Surfing.
In keeping with its brand positioning as “The
Great Australian Taste”, Four’N Twenty targets
everyday, regular consumers as a convenient and
wholesome food they can rely upon.
HISTORY
The Four’NTwenty story started in Bendigo,
Victoria, in the late 1940s. The company’s
founder, local caterer Les McClure,
developed a reputation for baking the
most deliciousmeat pies in the area.
McClure named his pies
Four’N Twenty after the line in
the nursery rhyme, “Sing aSong
ofSixpence”, aboutKingHenry
VIII entertaining guests by
baking 24 blackbirds in a pie
and having the birds fly out
of the pie.
With a great tasting
product and a catchy name,
demand for the Four’N
Twenty product grew rapidly.
It was not long before a large percentage of pie
production was being sent to Melbourne – at first
for special events like the 1948 Royal Melbourne
Show, and then later into the local trade. The
company soon opened its first Melbourne bakery
in a pavilion at the Showgrounds.
The Showgrounds bakery was soon too small
and a new bakery was built inAscot Vale. Demand
for Four’NTwenty pies continued to increase with
deliveries extending to all suburbs and many
country areas.
Large quantities were sent by rail and road to
distant country towns and cities. McClure
eventually sold the business to his original pastry
cook, Les Gillies. Since then ownership of the ever
growing brand has changed hands with the
decades –Peters ran it in the late 1960s, theAdelaide
SteamshipCompany in the1970s andPacificDunlop
from the early 1980s, after which it finally fell into
overseas hands at US-owned Simplot.
The iconicAustralian Four’NTwenty brandwas
eventually brought back in to Australian hands in
2003,when itwas purchased fromSimplot byPatties
Foods Ltd.
From its Bairnsdale bakery Patties Foods
currently produces around 70 million pies per year
and uses approximately 25,000 kilograms of meat
and 50,000 kilograms of flour every day.
THE PRODUCT
Four’N Twenty’s product range consists of Meat
Pies, Flavoured Pies, Party Goods, Pasties and
Sausage Rolls.
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