Locals meet over beef pies

By Sarah Schwager
A SPRINGVALE South milk bar will bring meat pies to the Asian community after it launched its range of Mrs Mac’s pies last week.
The Harold Road Milk Bar was packed with young and old on Friday as residents jumped at the chance for a free pie.
And it was thumbs up all round.
Owner William Wu took over the running of the milk bar three months ago and said he and wife Pinky had decided to bring pies to the store to help the business.
“A lot of trucks come and go and pass by the store and there’s a work site nearby,” Mr Wu said.
“I just took over. I’ve never run a business before.”
Mr Wu brought pies to the milk bar two weeks ago but sold very few.
That was when Mrs Mac’s suggested having the launch.
Mr Wu said pies were not a traditional lunch for the locals.
“There are a lot of Asian people living around here. It’s a hard point to sell,” he said.
“A lot of them haven’t tasted pies before so they don’t buy them.”
Mrs Mac’s sales representative Robyn Mangnall said the day, with free pies provided by Mrs Mac’s, had been a big success.
“It was great. Now people know they’re here,” she said.
She said the company gave the milk bar a pie warmer and signs so the customer could see the product.
Mrs Mac’s is a 70-year-old Australian family owned business based in Western Australia and uses 100 per cent beef.
As well as the traditional meat pies, Mrs Mac’s also offers low GI pies, vegetable pies and pasties, and sweet apple and blueberry, and apple pies.