Our bakery is known for the quality and variety of our pies. We select only the finest ingredients to create a slice of happiness for our customers. From delectable apple to delightful cherry, each recipe is a unique creation designed to deliver an explosion of flavor.
Available in both 9-inch and 6-inch sizes, our fruit pies are proudly made in our Atlanta bakery plant and have earned numerous awards. Last year, we won 8 blue ribbons at the American Pie Council National Pie Championships. Read on to learn how we make our pies.
Step 1
We start by making the dough. We measure the dry ingredients, such as flour and salt, then add water and shortening. Once the dough is fully mixed, it’s moved to our pie line to hydrate and bring to room temperature for approximately 1 hour.
Step 2
Next, we prepare our pie filling, which is made with fruits like apples, cherries, peaches, guava and blueberries. The fruit is mixed together with sugar, spices, natural flavorings and other ingredients. The filling is then cooked and cooled to the perfect consistency to preserve the fruit’s quality.
Step 3
We then create the pie shell from the dough that was placed on our state-of-the-art automated pie line, which can produce up to 70 pies per minute. We roll out the dough in several directions to create a flaky crust before drizzling a small amount of water on the dough’s edges. This helps ensure the bottom and top crusts adhere and seal well for proper baking.
Step 4
The fruit filling is then added to the pie shell. As each pie travels down the production line, an automatic pie filling depositor dispenses an accurate amount of filling.
Step 5
For double-crust pies, the top dough is scored and vented, then placed on top of the fruit-filled shells. The pie dough edges are crimped together to seal the top dough and bottom crust. For single-crust pies, such as Dutch apple, the shells are crimped and rimmed before the fruit filling is added. These pies are also topped with a delicious buttery streusel.
Step 6
Next, the pies are weighed before they’re sent to a freezer for about 45 minutes to maintain maximum freshness.
Step 7
Pies then go to the packaging area to be individually boxed and run through an X-ray machine for product safety. After that, pies are placed into a master case, where we add codes and an expiration date. Lastly, we palletize the cases and shrink-wrap the pallets for stability before sending them to our distribution center.
About the Atlanta bakery plant
The Atlanta bakery plant employs over 185 associates across 3 shifts at its 110,000-square-foot facility. It’s the sole producer of our pies, making over 25 varieties. It also produces white sub rolls for our deli.
This plant underwent an expansion project in 2024, which included replacing most of the pie-producing equipment so that the facility could run 2 pie lines at the same time.
A team of sanitation associates continuously cleans the facility, which quality assurance associates inspect. In addition, maintenance associates ensure that our equipment is properly maintained and runs efficiently.
Like all our manufacturing facilities, the Atlanta bakery plant takes pride in safely producing high-quality products. Its food safety and quality programs are certified to meet the strict guidelines of the Global Food Safety Initiative through the Safe Quality Food Program. The facility was recognized with Publix’s Safety Award in 2020 and Sustainability Award in 2023.
