Could pie tins be the winning secret?

“One of the biggest things we do invest in is good pie tins. Our tins are made out of a totally different metal to other tins. They’re made from a product called all-clad, which means you get a different heat soak. Most pie pallets are made out of tin plate, but these ones are made out of aluminum-coated stainless steel and they’re Teflon coated so you get that great release. The seal gives you that heat soak and the aluminum gives you that reflected heat.”

Nada Bakery won their first gold award in 2019 using these tins for the first time. They’ve consistently won awards and placings since, and Michael puts that success down in reasonable part to the tins used in production. Last year was a big year for Nada Bakery, which is based in Wellington with branches in Tawa and Johnsonville.

They marked their 50th year in business and emphasised the part being a family business plays in that longevity. And then came the icing on the cake; a call to say that they had won a gold award in the Bakels NZ Supreme Pie Awards. Michael says on Awards Night, when the gold winners find out what category they’ve won, he was surprised it was one of the two largest categories, Mince and Cheese. “It wasn’t the category we expected to get an award in, to be honest, but definitely thrilled because I know that it’s such a hard-fought category to win, one of the biggest sections, if not the biggest in the competition.” Trying to create a mince and cheese pie that will stand-out from around 500 other same pie fillings is a huge challenge; whereas categories such as Gourmet Meat, Chicken and Vegetable or Vegetarian allow greater creative scope, says Michael.

“When it comes to the Mince and Cheese or a Steak and Cheese categories it is known that the top 10-15 percent of those entries are going to be pretty exquisite looking pies, but also the flavour combinations are going to be well up there too. To differentiate yourself in those categories is tough. And I still believe there’s got to be a little bit of luck in what you’re doing in the competition because it’s so hard for the judges to find something that puts that pie above the rest.” With an increase in bakery competition around them, Nada Bakery started redeveloping its pie filling flavours about five years ago to gradually add different herbs and spices. It’s been an evolving process that takes into account current taste trends, while at the same time offering their customers a point of difference.

“We have an array of herbs in our pies. There’s no point in doing the same flavour pies as those sold next door. You can’t charge more for it and you can’t make your customers any more attracted to it. You’ve got to do something that people will like. We got a bit of push back from some people who didn’t like the herbs, so we tweaked around it. But you’ve got to be bold to offer a flavour profile that you’re proud to put on a plate or in a bag and sell. We’ve now got quite a few herbs and spices going on in there and adding vegetables like tomato to be able to accent out that beef flavour and bring in a little sweetness without adding sugar.”

They changed their cheese in 2019 to a creamier, more flavoursome one with a rather sharp appeal, which would meld with the meat nicely. The change scored them the gold award in the Steak and Cheese category – it competes annually with the Mince and Cheese category for having the highest entry numbers. “In 2021 we picked up the Potato Top gold. That’s when we started playing around with herbs a bit more, and I think I started the trend of everybody putting a piece of rosemary on top of the pie!” Nada Bakery is definitely not the first to create a bit of controversy by topping the potato top pie with a sprig of rosemary, and he says being innovative gets your pie noticed and it inspires people to try a different flavoured pie.

“That’s what these awards are all about, stretching for excellence and challenging you to do better.” After winning the 2025 gold, Michael says sales doubled but the growth period was shorter due to the current economy with Wellington in particular finding things really tough. Still it’s a good result for which Nada is very proud of and in 2026 they hope to make their mark again.