Patties Foods
Patties Foods is an Australian food manufacturer known for meat pies, pastry foods, frozen fruit and desserts.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Patties Foods is an Australian food manufacturing company headquartered in Bairnsdale, Victoria. Its business is centered on frozen and baked convenience foods, particularly meat pies, sausage rolls, pasties, quiches, desserts and frozen fruit. The company is also the corporate home of a portfolio of recognizable Australian food brands, including Patties, Four'n Twenty, Herbert Adams, Nanna's, Chefs Pride, Boscastle and Snowy River. Through these brands and its foodservice operation, Patties supplies retail, hospitality and institutional customers. The company traces its origins to Patties Bakeries, a cake shop in Lakes Entrance, Victoria, acquired by Dutch migrants Peter and Annie Rijs in August 1966. The business was named after the previous owner's wife, Patty Neat. In 1967, the Rijs family broadened the shop's offering by introducing pies and bread rolls. Growing demand led to the development, acquisition and disposal of a number of shops and bakeries, gradually transforming the business from a local bakery into a manufacturing operation. A major operational turning point came in 1985, when production moved to a new factory in Bairnsdale. Patties expanded its distribution into Melbourne in 1986 and began exporting to New Zealand in 1995. During the 1990s, the company experimented with adjacent categories, including the Arriba Mexican food range launched in 1993. In 1996, it sold its bread business to Sunicrust so that management and manufacturing capacity could be concentrated on pastry-based products. Factory investment followed, including a substantial renovation and extension in 1998 and a new parallel production line in 2000 for pasties, sausage rolls and other finger foods. Patties significantly increased its national brand portfolio in 2003 by acquiring the Australian Four'n Twenty, Herbert Adams and Nanna's businesses from Simplot. Production of products associated with those brands began at the Bairnsdale facility in 2004. The company added the Chefs Pride and Creative Gourmet businesses in 2007 and also introduced gluten-free products, extending its reach beyond conventional pastry products into frozen fruit and foodservice categories. Patties Foods became a public company on the Australian Securities Exchange in 2006, with members of the Rijs family retaining a substantial shareholding at the time. It was later acquired by Pacific Equity Partners in November 2016 and removed from the exchange. In September 2022, ownership changed again when the business was sold to PAG. The company remains associated with Australia's large-scale meat-pie and frozen-food sector, with Bairnsdale continuing as a central manufacturing location. Its competitive position rests on manufacturing scale, a broad brand portfolio, frozen distribution capabilities and established relationships with supermarkets, convenience outlets, sporting venues, hospitality businesses and foodservice customers.
History
Patties Foods began as Patties Bakeries, a small cake shop in Lakes Entrance, Victoria. In August 1966, Dutch migrants Peter and Annie Rijs, who had arrived in Australia in 1956, acquired the business. The name Patties originated with Patty Neat, the wife of the former owner. The Rijs family expanded the product range in 1967 by adding pies and bread rolls, moving the business beyond cake retail and toward the pastry categories that later defined the company. As demand increased, the business developed and traded a number of shops and bakeries. In 1985, production was transferred to a newly built factory in Bairnsdale, which became the company's principal manufacturing base. Patties extended distribution into Melbourne in 1986 and began exporting to New Zealand in 1995. The company also explored new food categories: it launched the Arriba Mexican food range in 1993, then sold its bread operation to Sunicrust in 1996 to focus more closely on pastry products. Investment in the Bairnsdale site supported the next stage of expansion. A renovation and extension valued at two million dollars was completed in 1998, including the installation of a spiral freezer. In 2000, Patties added a parallel manufacturing line capable of producing pasties, sausage rolls and other finger foods. These changes increased capacity and strengthened the company's position in frozen and ready-to-bake products. The company became a broader branded food group in 2003 when it purchased Four'n Twenty, Herbert Adams and Nanna's from Simplot. Manufacturing of products associated with the acquired brands commenced at Bairnsdale in 2004. Patties was recognized through induction into the Victorian Manufacturing Hall of Fame and the Gippsland Business Awards Hall of Fame in 2006. That year it also listed on the Australian Securities Exchange, while members of the Rijs family retained approximately 40 percent of the company at the time described in the source material. In 2007, Patties acquired the Chefs Pride and Creative Gourmet businesses and added gluten-free products to its range. Its portfolio subsequently covered mainstream meat pies, gourmet pastry products, frozen fruit, desserts and foodservice items. The company also operated under or represented brands including Boscastle and Snowy River. A significant food-safety event occurred in early 2015, when Nanna's frozen berries were recalled after five people contracted hepatitis A. The berries had been imported from China and Chile. The event became one of the most notable public incidents in the company's history, although the available reference material does not provide further details about financial consequences or subsequent executive changes. Patties returned to private ownership after Pacific Equity Partners acquired the company in November 2016 and the business was delisted from the ASX. In September 2022, ownership transferred to PAG. Patties Foods continues to be associated with large-scale Australian production of pies and other frozen convenience foods, with its Bairnsdale manufacturing base and portfolio of nationally recognized brands remaining central to its identity.
- 2022
Sold to PAG
[1]PAG acquired Patties Foods in September.
- 2016
Acquired by Pacific Equity Partners
[1]Pacific Equity Partners acquired Patties Foods and the company was delisted from the ASX.
- 2007
Chefs Pride and Creative Gourmet acquired
[1]The company expanded its portfolio through the acquisition of Chefs Pride and Creative Gourmet and introduced gluten-free foods.
- 2006
Public listing and industry recognition
[1]Patties Foods listed on the ASX and was inducted into the Victorian Manufacturing Hall of Fame and Gippsland Business Awards Hall of Fame.
- 2003
Four'n Twenty, Herbert Adams and Nanna's acquired
[1]Patties purchased the three Australian food brands from Simplot.
- 2000
Additional pastry manufacturing line installed
[1]A parallel line increased capacity for pasties, sausage rolls and finger foods.
- 1998
Bairnsdale plant expanded
[1]A major plant renovation and extension added a spiral freezer.
- 1995
Exports to New Zealand begin
[1]Patties began exporting products to New Zealand.
- 1993
Arriba range launched
[1]The company introduced the Arriba Mexican food range.
- 1986
Melbourne distribution begins
[1]Patties extended distribution into Melbourne.
Products and positioning
An Australian-scale manufacturer and brand house focused on convenient frozen and pastry-based foods, combining mass-market pie brands with gourmet, dessert, frozen-fruit and foodservice offerings.
Pies and pastry foods
Patties
The core Patties range includes meat pies, pasties, sausage rolls and quiches in standard, party and mini-party formats. The brand also includes gluten-free pie products and a vegan roll, allowing it to serve both traditional convenience-food occasions and selected dietary requirements.
Pies and sausage rolls
Four'n Twenty
Four'n Twenty is one of Australia's established mainstream pie brands. Its portfolio includes pies, traveller pies, pasties and sausage rolls, with products positioned for retail, convenience and on-the-go consumption.
Gourmet pastry foods
Herbert Adams
Herbert Adams offers gourmet-oriented pies, pasties and sausage rolls. The brand provides a more premium expression of Patties' pastry expertise than its mainstream offerings while remaining within the frozen and convenient meal occasion.
Frozen fruit and desserts
Nanna's
Nanna's covers frozen fruit, family- and snack-sized fruit pies, waffles, danishes, crumbles and jam-filled doughnuts. It extends Patties Foods into home dessert preparation and frozen sweet products.
Pies and pastry foods
Snowy River
Snowy River produces pies, pasties and sausage rolls in standard and party sizes. The range complements Patties Foods' other pastry brands with products designed for household and group-serving occasions.
Foodservice products
Patties Foodservice
Patties Foodservice supplies hotels, restaurants and other hospitality customers with bistro items, desserts, finger foods, frozen fruit, vegetables and specialty products. This channel gives the company an outlet beyond packaged supermarket goods.
Foodservice and prepared foods · 2007
Chefs Pride
Chefs Pride is part of Patties Foods' broader prepared-food and foodservice portfolio. The available reference material identifies the brand as an acquisition but does not provide a detailed current product catalogue.
Frozen food · 2007
Creative Gourmet
Creative Gourmet joined Patties Foods through the 2007 acquisition of the Chefs Pride and Creative Gourmet businesses. The supplied reference material does not specify the full current range.
Food brand
Boscastle
Boscastle is identified as one of the brands represented by Patties Foods in Australia. Detailed product information is not provided in the available reference material.
Brand decisions
2022
Sale to PAGM&ABackground
Patties Foods changed private-equity ownership after several years under Pacific Equity Partners.
Action taken
The company was sold to PAG in September 2022.
Aftermath
PAG became the identified owner of the privately held food manufacturer.
2016
Private-equity acquisition and delistingM&ABackground
After a decade as an ASX-listed company, Patties Foods changed ownership.
Action taken
Pacific Equity Partners acquired the company in November 2016, followed by delisting from the ASX.
Aftermath
Patties became privately held and was no longer publicly traded.
2007
Acquisition of Chefs Pride and Creative GourmetM&ABackground
Patties continued expanding its branded and foodservice product base.
Action taken
The company acquired the Chefs Pride and Creative Gourmet businesses.
Aftermath
The acquisitions broadened Patties Foods' presence in foodservice and frozen foods, alongside the introduction of gluten-free products.
2003
Acquisition of major Australian food brandsM&ABackground
Patties sought to broaden its national food portfolio beyond its original bakery identity.
Action taken
The company acquired Four'n Twenty, Herbert Adams and Nanna's from Simplot.
Aftermath
Production of the associated products was brought into the Bairnsdale factory from 2004, expanding the company's pie, frozen-fruit and dessert operations.
1996
Exit from bread manufacturingStrategyBackground
Patties had expanded into pastry products and sought to focus resources on that faster-growing area.
Action taken
The company sold its bread business to Sunicrust.
Aftermath
The decision concentrated Patties' manufacturing and commercial attention on pastry products.
Sources1 sources
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