Jason Danielson co-founded Kai Pai Pies with his sister and brother-in-law in 2010. Danielson has been baking for 35 years, starting in Ashburton at Sims Bakery before moving further down the South Island approximately 20 years ago.
Danielson helped build the business of a bakery in Queenstown, baking pies. However, this operation quickly scaled up, leading Danielson to relocate to a new production facility in Wanaka.
Kai Pai is a family affair, with Danielson baking, his partner in dispatch and his sister and brother-in-law leading the business administration functions.
Pies have always been a product that drew Danielson's attention; having worked in restaurants where he spent much of his time waiting around for people, baking pies gave Danielson a chance to be consistently baking and to have fun, with his baking philosophy revolving around constantly trying to improve and create new and exciting flavours.
His favourite flavour is steak and pepper. However, Kai Pai’s Chicken, Leek and Bacon Pie has won gold awards for the last two years running, which Danielson attributes to the team's commitment to perfecting the balance of flavours.
Danielson said the first step in baking the pies was to get the pastry right. After the pastry had met the standard, the next step was flavour. However, winning awards for flavour heavily depends on the judge's preferences, with him adding that some years a product might not get any award recognition because of the different tastes of the judging panel.
While Chicken, Leek and Bacon is an award winner, Danielson said that Mince & Cheese and Steak & Cheese remained top favourites for New Zealand consumers. More recently, there has been an increase in consumer interest in vegan options, with Danielson's Vegan Roasted Vegetable & Cashew Nut Curry pie creation winning a gold award at its first-time entry at the Vegan Pie Awards.
When production for the vegan pies first began, Danielson was creating 2000 a month; now, this has increased to 26,000.
We will bring a vegan sausage roll, but I want to do it properly. We've been working on it for a while now,
"We will bring a vegan sausage roll, but I want to do it properly. We've been working on it for a while now," said Danielson.
For sustainability, Kai Pai also uses a recyclable wrap, has switched to lining pies with recyclable, greaseproof paper, and has also incorporated crushers for its recyclable plastics and cardboard. Danielson said Kai Pai’s decision to become more eco-friendly went hand-in-hand with creating a plant-based pie. Kai Pai is committed to catering to consumer preference and demand for environmentally-conscious and plant-based products.
Kai Pai can make 50,000 pies daily, an astronomical increase from when the business started when it made 1000 pies daily. The process is automated with two pie line systems to facilitate the pie's demand and popularity. Danielson's baking ethos is centred on the premise that if he wouldn't eat it, he won't sell it.
When making a new flavour, Danielson said the process was primarily him mucking around, trying to get the taste right. Danielson created a curry recipe with the vegan pie that could work and then added rice and roasted vegetables to create the pie it is today. Using the Kai Pai team as guinea pigs, Danielson said that they were the first to try a new flavour, and when it came to the vegan pie, many preferred it to the meat ones.
For Kai Pai, quality is, first and foremost, the most essential part of baking.
"We do our best, and we know we can't please every customer, but we're going to take care in what we're doing. We take pride in our work and always look for ways to improve."
The industry's biggest problem is staff; Danielson explained that this was an issue in the sector we’re all dealing with.
"It's trying to get enough staff for your business."
A second issue was stock shortages, with global economic conflicts and ongoing extreme weather impacting the price of ingredients. These prices have impacted bakeries large and small, with ingredient prices driving up prices of baked goods.
"Prices have to hold at a certain time."
He continued that it was a frustrating and challenging time for all, with the hope that these challenges would let up soon.
For the future, Danielson wants Kai Pai to be one of the biggest Pie wholesalers in New Zealand, which has long been a goal. However, ultimately, he wants a good business that he can be proud of.
