A well-known Perthshire food producer, which recently secured a £150,000 pie supply contract with Aldi, has unexpectedly closed its doors.
Glencarse-based The Wee Pie Company has stopped trading and has raised a petition at Perth Sheriff Court calling for the business to be wound up.
Reasons for the move have not been made immediately clear.
The closure comes just three months after the firm, a fixture of the local business scene and a regular attendee at farmers’ markets and food trade events up and down the country, secured a lucrative new contract with German discounter Aldi.
The order was seen as a milestone moment for the company and saw their game and savoury pies listed in 64 Aldi stores across Scotland.
The firm, a multi-award winner at the Guild of Fine Food Great Taste Awards, was originally founded by husband-and-wife team Rose and Alastair Martin in October 2011.
The firm enjoyed initial success and, in October 2012, became a limited company and registered for VAT.
The Martins, who both came from healthcare backgrounds, settled into Glencarse after spending three years running a private island owned by the Branson family in the remote north west of Scotland.
It was during this period that Rose developed her passion for traditional foodstuffs and the idea to set up a new food business was born.
The Wee Pie Company was established and in recent months had been managed and run by Rose and a team of three staff.
The use of locally sourced ingredients was key to the company’s success and was one of the reasons behind Aldi’s decision to list the firm’s products late last year.
In an interview with The Courier in January, Mrs Martin was upbeat about the company.
“We are passionate about providing quality food to our customers and we think that going local is key,” she said.
“Our pies are made using original recipes and all natural ingredients which give a fuller flavoured, tastier and healthier eating experience.”
The court has appointed business rescue and recovery specialist Ken Pattullo as provisional liquidator of The Wee Pie Company.
Attempts by The Courier to contact Rose Martin to discuss the situation were unsuccessful.
The company’s website has been taken down and its Twitter and email accounts have been disabled.