During the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021, Mac and Angie Schwenke started brainstorming ideas to generate income for their family. Angie had been furloughed from her job, Mac recalls, and the husband-and-wife team resorted to creating something they had done for years.
“We made these meat pies years ago — before we started thinking about selling them,” he says. “When Covid hit, we were struggling; my wife was furloughed and I got really sick. We had no intentions of starting a business, but Covid affected work stability. We had to look for other means to generate income for our family, so we began to sell meat pies.”
Mac and Angie started out by selling meat pies from their home in Hauʻula. The savory meat pies — complete with buttery, flaky, golden-brown crusts — soon became popular and demand increased. The Schwenkes — who named their business The Kiwi Korner — opened their first location as a trailer in Lāʻie at the Polynesian Cultural Center's Hukilau Marketplace.
“The name Kiwi Korner came about because we (Angie and I) are both Kiwis from New Zealand,” Mac says. “The ‘Korner’ came from our Hauʻula location because it sits on a corner."
The business’s bakery location in Hauʻula officially opened in 2024. Although this location officially opened two years ago, the business has baked its meat pies out of this kitchen from the beginning.
Meat pies, which cost $12 each, come with fillings like bacon and egg, pepper steak, butter chicken, minced and cheese, chicken curry and veggie.
“The minced and cheese features ground beef,” explains business owner Angie Schwenke. “Our lupulu flavor has corned beef, luau leaf, coconut milk and sweet potato.”
The minced meat and cheese and steak and cheese are the two most popular flavors, according to Mac.
“I’m a ground beef kind of person,” he says. “The lupulu flavor is unique; it’s almost like a Polynesian dish in a pie. Once that flavor came out, a lot of people seemed to like it.
“(When starting this business) we were looking for different flavors we thought people might like,” he adds.
The mince and cheese pie features ground beef, American cheddar and dark gravy in a flaky pastry. The chicken and veggie is like a chicken pot pie, as the filling includes chicken breast, onions, carrots and celery.
Meat pies are made fresh daily, according to Mac. It takes each batch about 20 minutes to bake in the oven.
“People are coming here from all over the Island now; people are tasting it and realizing it’s something unique,” he says. “As far as we know, we’re the only ones that sell authentic New Zealand meat pies.
“Meat pies are very popular in New Zealand,” he adds. “It’s good as grab and go; people love a simple pie.”
The business’s Lāʻie trailer features a more limited menu, but still offers the most popular pies. Customers can find a more extensive selection of meat pies and other baked goods at The Kiwi Korner’s Hauʻula bakery.
If customers want to save their meat pies for later, Mac recommends keeping the pies in the refrigerator for five to six days, or storing them in the freezer.
“Warm them up in the oven; don’t put them in the microwave because the crust will get soggy,” he says. “We have people that come here and want to take the pies to the Mainland. If that’s the case, we can freeze it for them and pack it up; it’s frozen already and they can take it.”
The bakery also offers a variety of desserts, including cream puffs, cinnamon rolls, lilikoʻi bundt cakes and banana bread. The cream puffs — which are filled with whipped cream, drizzled with chocolate and topped with confectioner’s sugar — is the most popular treat, according to Mac.
If customers want to get a specific flavor, it’s recommended to visit the bakery early, as the business can sell out by 2 p.m. or 3 p.m. Saturdays are the busiest days, according to Mac, who says they make sure to have extra products.
“We’re nothing without our customers,” Mac says. “We appreciate those who have come out. People have been asking us to start selling in Kaneohe, town and the west side … we’re just a small family business, looking for more ways to serve customers. We want to say ‘thank you’ to everyone who comes out; they drive a long way for meat pies.”
The Kiwi Korner’s Hauʻula bakery is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (or until sold out) on Mondays and Tuesdays and from Thursdays to Saturdays. Its Lāʻie trailer is open from 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays and Thursdays to Saturdays. Both locations are closed on Wednesdays and Sundays.
CONTACT
The Kiwi Korner
54-060 Kamehameha Hwy., Hauʻula
Instagram: @thekiwikorner
Open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. or until sold out Mondays and Tuesdays, Thursdays to Saturdays
Both Hauʻula and Lāʻie stores are closed on Wednesdays and Sundays
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Kelli Shiroma Braiotta can be reached at kelli@alohastatedaily.com.
