According to the American Pie Council, 90% of Americans agree that a slice of pie represents one of the simple pleasures in life. But a large percentage of the pies Americans eat are homemade, or at least partially so, with prepared fillings combined with prepared crusts. Pie-baking from scratch is time-consuming and requires at least some exacting science.
A steady rise in pie sales at independent bakeshops and prepared food operations in supermarkets demonstrates that home-style, if not homemade, pies are trending up. The $11.2 billion prepared cakes and pies category, which includes in-store-baked, shelf-stable, and frozen/refrigerated cakes and pies, grew 24% from 2009-2014, according to research group Mintel’s June 2014 “Prepared Cakes and Pies-US” report.