By Hira Nafees Shah
Fulbright Alumnus Azhar Zaheer with a freshly baked pie
In a beautiful house in Defense Lahore, a kettle is whistling and an oven is working at its maximum capacity. As with most modern Pakistani houses, one would expect the oven to churn out cakes or brownies. But when the lid is raised, an unusual delicacy comes out: a pie, to be exact.
The aroma of fresh strawberries and apples fills the kitchen, as the baker cuts the golden brown crust and the filling oozes out. The baker is a lanky Lahori guy in his late 20s called Azhar Zaheer.
Breaking the stereotype that the kitchen should be a women’s domain, culinary entrepreneur Zaheer has launched a unique venture from his home: a ‘Piecycle’ bakery that delivers homemade pies to customers’ doorsteps. The idea originated while he was on his 2010-2012 Fulbright exchange program studying Environmental Management at Duke University.
“I discovered good quality pies when I went to the U.S,” said Zaheer. “Tea with pies proved to be the perfect combination while sitting by the fireplace.”
Zaheer transported his love for pies to Pakistan upon his return to the country and decided to make a business out of it. He takes the orders; both his mother and a house-keeper help him with the baking and then the pie is delivered. The housekeeper is also given a monetary portion per pie so that he also benefits from the entrepreneurial effort.
Azhar Zaheer with his delivery guy and the motorcycle on which the pies are delivered
Afterwards, the leftovers from the baking are composted in the terrace garden at the alumnus’ house, so that nothing goes to waste. In the early stages of the business, Zaheer also used to deliver the pies himself.
“I used to deliver the pies on my motorcycle and that is how the name of the business “pie-cycle” originated,” he said.
Piecycle offers a variety of pies like Plain Pie, Apple Pie, Plain Strawberry and Mixed Pies. There are 10 servings per pie and the dessert is a pure delight to eat with completely natural ingredients exploding in the mouth with every bite, and sugar kept in accordance with the preference of the customer.
Zaheer prefers putting limited sugar in the pies, so that he can promote healthy eating habits and says many of his older clients enjoy his offerings because of this very reason.
One such regular customer is Mahrukh Malik, who works in the publishing industry. She says her father is a huge fan of Zaheer’s pies.
“My dad does not eat dessert but loves Piecycle’s Apple Pies and often tells me to order it for him,” she said.
Azhar Zaheer putting the filling in an Apple Pie
She also complimented Zaheer for his innovative idea in setting up the pie shop and for his professionalism in making sure that his customers remain satisfied and happy.
Another client Imtisal Zafar was introduced to the pies by the alumnus himself and developed such a craving for them that he gets one delivered every week. He is also very specific about what he likes about Piecycle.
“The crust is fantastic because it’s not bland and half of the magic lies in the crust,” Zafar said. “Also the filling is not dry; it’s nice and flowy and has a juicy texture.”
For Jawad Qaisrani, Piecycle rose to the occasion on a special day. He ordered a pie for his mother’s birthday on a short notice. But still Zaheer was able to make the delivery on time.
“The quality of the pie spoke for itself and so far I have ordered seven or eight times from Piecycle,” said Qaisrani.
Though he only launched the venture a few months ago, Zaheer says the feedback so far has been overwhelmingly positive and the Piecycle Facebook page has already reached more than 1,000 fans—an amazing figure considering he has only promoted the business via social media and word of mouth.
A Piecycle Apple-Strawberry Pie baked to perfection
Zaheer plans to start selling savory pies soon, to offer more variety to his clients. As for the next step, the alumnus plans to place his pies at a petrol pump on M.M Alam Road, which has equaled his brilliance in innovation, since it only employs female attendants.
And from this promotional idea onwards, the sky is the limit for this inventive alumnus!
To learn more about Piecycle and to place an order, visit:
https://www.facebook.com/thepicycle
