Small batches, great teams, and big dreams—a Pie-fecta of awesomeness!
The Handpie Company at home—Your chef-made comfort food solution, on your schedule, no reservation required!
Our Story
In 2017, Red Seal Chef Sarah Bennetto O’Brien set out to solve a simple problem facing local foodies:
A distinct lack of hearty, nutritious, and delicious grab-and-go meal options to fuel Prince Edward Island adventures.
What started as a pie in the sky idea has become a freezer aisle revolution, bringing nutritious, no-fork-required handpies to food lovers across the Maritimes and beyond.
Chapter One: 2013
A Recipe, A Birthday, & An Epiephany
Once upon a dark 2013 PEI winter, Chef Sarah Bennetto O’Brien was gifted a copy of Outlander Kitchen for her December birthday (on account of her obsession with the Outlander book series). Inside? A recipe for Brianna’s Bridies—a pork and potato handpie. It sounded too good not to try.
Loaded up with ingredients from the Summerside Farmers’ Market, Sarah got to work. The first bite? Ahhmazing. How were people not already making these here? The perfect way to celebrate PEI’s incredible local ingredients—wrapped in beautiful buttery pastry.
Little did she know, that bite would change her destiny...
Chapter Two: 2014-2017
Scapes & The First Handpies
At this time, Sarah was deep in the planning process for launching her café in Gateway Village called Scapes. Handpies earned a spot on the menu… and never left.
Three years in, they weren’t just a hit—they were taking over. More pies, more demand, more proof that this wasn’t just a fan-favourite menu item—it was a business begging to be born.
Chapter Three: 2017-2018
Food Xcel & A Leap of Faith
In 2017, Sarah joined PEI’s first-ever Food Xcel program, an intensive Food Island Partnership initiative designed to help PEI food businesses scale, refine, and go all in.
Through weeks of business planning, Sarah kept her eye on the pies: handpies, that is.
The numbers made sense. The vision was clear. Near the end of the program, she took a bold step:
📍 She registered The Handpie Company name.
🎨 She had a brand-new shop sign painted.
When her staff returned after the holidays, they weren’t working at Scapes.
They were The Handpie Company.
Chapter Four: 2018-Present Day
From Gateway Village to Albany
That first year? Wild. The Handpie Company exploded in Gateway Village. Demand soared. And then, an even bigger leap of faith—moving into the Albany Scotiabank building.
A bigger space. More pies. A freezer aisle revolution in the making.
Today, The Handpie Company operates out of a federally inspected, CFIA-licensed production facility in Borden-Carleton, ensuring every single pie meets the highest standards—from dough to delivery.
And while the business has grown, the mission has never changed:
✔ Chef-made, no shortcuts
✔ Locally sourced, PEI-proud
✔ A warm, comforting meal—anytime, anywhere
And it all started with a book, a birthday, and one perfect bite.
Chapter Five: The Future We Imagine
Pie-ing It Forward – Because Food Should Be a Given
The Handpie Company was built on the belief that good food should be accessible to all.
Sarah’s passion for food security and food literacy isn’t just a philosophy—it’s folded into everything we do.
That’s why we Pie It Forward.
Every month, we donate handpies to local food banks, shelters, and community spaces—places where a warm, nourishing hand-held meal can make all the difference in the world.
Everyone deserves a full belly, no matter their life circumstances.
There’s nothing better than a home cooked meal. But our pies are the next best thing.
Know someone who could use a little handpie happiness?
If you know of an organization that could use some chef-made, nourishing comfort food, let us know!