Hancox’s Pies: The Little Bakery That’s Winning Hearts Across Wales

Hancox’s Pies is a local business that opened in 2020 making homemade meals for the surrounding community.

The local business that makes pies, cakes, pastries, and more homecooked goods to order presents a true family feel as business owner, Alexandre Hancox, uses his own mama’s recipes, all the way from Avora in Portugal.

When COVID restrictions lifted, Hancox’s Pies secured a property in Bargoed that acted as a café and bakery at front of house for their local community.

As the business grew, Hancox’s Pies relocated in December 2023 to their current location in Caerphilly. The move created a space to seat 60 customers with numerous parking spaces. The pies and pasties are also made at the newer site, making them some of the freshest around.

The relocation has been as huge success, with over 5731 pies and 5594 pasties sold in just the café alone. They have had to open 7 days a week with people travelling from all over Wales and even as far as Essex to try their goods. Recently, they have even started to explore private hire in the evenings and on Sundays and continue their hugely successful food and farmers market stalls.

Hancox’s Pies also continues to support the local community with affordable meals for children with offers for them to eat for as little as £1 at the café throughout the school holidays.

This year Hancox’s Pies signed a lease for the unit next door for further expansion. The unit now incorporates not only tea and coffee but also draft beer from Portugal, further seating, and longer opening hours.

They have also won a range of awards such as The 2024 Welsh Independent Retail ‘Bakery of the Year’ Award, and ‘Self-Employed Trader of the Year’ at the FSB Small Businesses Awards in 2022.

8 people are currently employed by Hancox’s Pies and with the expansion into the new unit they will soon be looking for more staff.

Hancox’s Pies Ltd has received a total of £37,452.88 from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund in the last 3 years. This grant was dedicated towards Hancox’s Pies through Caerphilly County Borough Council’s intervention of UKSPF funds. The grant was match funded by the company for initial kitchen equipment, then the relocation and more equipment needed. The final grant helped with the expansion of the business to take over the adjoining unit at their new premises.

Owner Alexandre Hancox praised the grant and Caerphilly Council’s Business Team saying “The process of applying for the grants was very easy on every occasion, with excellent communication from the Council. We are forecast to make over £1 million turnover this year and the Council’s assistance with the expansion has helped in achieving this.”

Cllr Jamie Pritchard, Cabinet Member for Prosperity, Regeneration, and Climate Change said “Hancox’s Pies have developed into such a well-liked, local brand. It was great to catch up with Alex to talk about his plans for the future.”