Grand Traverse Pie Co. in Traverse City, founded in 1996, is expanding by establishing new distribution relationships with Lipari Foods, Spartan Nash, Gordon Food Service, and Jewel Osco.
The move will allow Grand Traverse Pie Co. to reach across their partners’ networks into more than 15 states from New York to Florida, and beyond. By the fourth quarter of 2025, the company’s pies will be available in 800-plus locations.
Currently, the company’s pies are sold in more than 500 retail locations across 10 states.
In turn, an undisclosed Midwest retail chain has ordered 20,000 pies to be offered at its 100-plus locations for the two weeks surrounding Independence Day, according to the company.
“Through the creative innovations and hard work of our team, paired with the support of our distributors and retailers, we now have the capability to sell our pies well beyond our previous reach,” says Mike Busley, co-founder of Grand Traverse Pie Co.
“Our novel ‘Thaw and Sell’ pie program allows us to offer fresh, ready-to-eat pies across the nation. This creates a huge opportunity to continue the growth of our brand.”
Grand Traverse Pie makes their pies one at a time, by hand, and slow bakes them “to achieve maximum flavor and texture.”
“We will always make our pies the same way we have for the last 29 years. We hand portion each pie using raw fruit, no gels, slow baking, while using cherries, apples, and blueberries from our wonderful Michigan growers and processors,” says Busley.
In addition, the company has 11 Grand Traverse Pie retail locations that continue to make pies every day. In turn, the bake team, in their self-titled “GT House of Pie” facility in Traverse City, has found new ways to boost production.
James Farber, vice president of category management at Lipari Foods in Warren, says, “As a Michigan-based company, Lipari Foods is extremely grateful for our partnership with the Grand Traverse Pie Co. Our retail partners across the country are proud to carry such high quality products in their bakery departments.”
Grand Traverse Pie Co. has multiyear relationships with several key Michigan partners, including:
- Smeltzer’s Orchard Co., Frankfort — processor
- Sayler Farms, Williamsburg — cherry farm
- Amos Orchards, Williamsburg — apple farm
- Tru Blue Farms, Grand Junction — blueberry farm and processor
- King Milling Co., Lowell — flour
- Pioneer Sugar, Bay City — sugar
- Michigan State University Product Development Center, East Lansing — strategic guidance
Retail partner Sam Oleson, co-owner and marketing director of Oleson’s Foods Stores, which operates four locations in northern Michigan — Traverse City East, Traverse City West, Charlevoix, and Petoskey — notes the pies have been steady sellers.
“We are proud to partner with Grand Traverse Pie to bring our customers variety, excellence, and a shared love of great pie,” says Oleson. “It’s a partnership built on trust, tradition, and mutual respect.”
For more information about Grand Traverse Pie Co., visit GTPie.com.
