After selling Achatz Family Restaurant (1976-1990) in Armada, MI, the family-owned business began baking pies in their home for friends, family, and farmers’ markets. Soon the reputation of their pies spread, and orders from restaurants and gourmet grocers poured in. In order to keep up with the demand, they purchased a ten acre orchard and converted the barn into a full-fledged bakery. Achatz Handmade Pie Company was officially born!

Achatz Pies predominantly uses locally grown Michigan ingredients, such as unbleached pastry flour, sugar made from Michigan grown beets, fruits, hormone-free milk and butter. They never use canned fruit, only fresh or frozen. All of their pie crusts are made with their own special blend of trans-fat free shortening, and you will never find margarine in their kitchen- just real butter!

REVIEW:

Achatz Handmade Pie Co. allowed me to try their signature Crumb Topped Michigan Four Berry pie for this review. This is their best selling pie and has won many awards. They use locally grown tart cherries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries.

I was a little apprehensive about trying this pie because I am not a fan of blueberries, raspberries or blackberries. I invited members of my family over to help me review the pie. The very first thing I noticed about the pie was its fresh homemade appearance. The pie looked just liked one of my mothers homemade pies!

To my surprise, the pie taste just as good as it looks- if not better! The pie was loaded with fresh berries and the crust was AMAZING! All four berries were equally distributed throughout the pie, and it had what I dare to say- A PERFECT TASTE! It was just the right sweetness, and it turned this none berry lover into a new fan of the Michigan 4-Berry Pie.

Other members of my family agreed that the pie had an exceptional taste. Even my mother, who is the critic of critics, agreed that this pie was one of the best she has ever had. I don't think we have had ten people in the home so quiet before. The only thing I could hear while they were eating the pie was "Mmmm"! This is one pie you MUST TRY! I give the Michigan 4-Berry pie a 10 out of 10 for taste and value!

BUY IT!

Achatz Handmade Pie Company has 7 locations throughout Metro-Detroit. Their pies are also sold at Whole Foods Market Ann Arbor and Cranbrook locations. In Illinois, you can find their pies at various Whole Food Markets, Sunset Foods, Grand Foods and Treasure Island locations. They are also available in Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska and Wisconsin. They sell fruit pies, cream pies, traditional favorites, specialty delights, savory foods and party pies. Prices range from $13.65 to $16.95 for their 10" deep dish pies. Most pies weigh 3 lbs.

They also offer a convenient online store.  Achatz pies are baked fresh to order, then quick frozen so it arrives in perfect condition. Online pies range from $35.25-$35.95 and all prices include shipping!

Achatz Pie Company also has fundraising programs. Prices range from $8-$16 and the organization keeps 40%.

Join Achatz Pie Co. on Sunday, Oct. 10th when they feature their apple pies on sale for only $10! They will be sampling an array of all of their Apple products, along with their brother's company "Achatz Soups from Scratch", soups. And, the first 50 customers will receive a free 'Goodie bag".


WIN IT!

Bradley from Achatz Handmade Pie Company has generously offered to give one Bargain Mom follower a coupon code good for one pie from their online store! I'm so jealous!

MANDATORY: YOU MUST BE A BARGAIN MOM FOLLOWER AND VISIT ACHATZ PIES AND TELL ME WHICH MENU ITEM YOU WOULD LIKE TO TRY.

ADDITIONAL ENTRIES:

1. "Like" Achatz Pies on Facebook AND leave a comment on their wall saying you are stopping by from http://www.bargainmom.net/. (2 entries)
2. Follow Achatz Pies on Twitter (1 entry)
3. Follow Bargain Mom On Twitter (1 entry)
4. Subscribe to Bargain Mom's email (1 entry)
5. Tweet about this giveaway 1x per day include a direct link to this post and @mibargainmom and @achatzpies (1 entry per tweet per day)

You must leave a separate comment for each entry. I will check each entry to make sure they are valid. If your email does not show in your profile, please leave it in a comment.

Giveaway is open to U.S. residents

Contest ends Sunday October 31, 2010 at 11:59 EST. The winner will be chosen on Monday November 1, 2010 by Random.org. Winner will have 48 hours to respond by email or another winner will be chosen. Sponsor is responsible for prize fulfillment.

Good Luck!


Disclosure: I received the pie at no cost, for review purposes . The products were given to me for the sole purpose of product testing and review. This review has not been monetarily compensated and is based on my opinions. The opinions reflected in this post have not been influenced by the sponsor in any way. This is my true and honest opinion. Your opinions may vary from mine.