The station’s host Paul Hickey visited the store last month and presented Sutherland and his team with a certificate.
There were three other finalists – Fordlands Four Square, Springfield Superette and Kawaha Point Superette.
Edmund Rd Four Square won by hundreds, receiving 498 votes.
Sutherland was not expecting the extra prize of about 500 Maketū Pies.
He described it as “generous”.
The team had celebrated the win with a dinner. Sutherland wanted to pass the pies on to the community as a thank you.
Customers can get one free pie with any purchase until they are all gone.
Sutherland said the limit was designed to make sure as many people as possible could enjoy them.
It includes what he described as the “staple variety”, including steak and cheese, potato top and the Whoppa sausage roll.
Sutherland said “every day is different” running the store.
It had its challenges, especially as costs and the wider economy changed.
Though it was “pretty cool” when a “stink day” turned around because someone said, “Thanks for being open today”.
Maketū Pies general manager Craig Williams said the competition was to shine a spotlight on these unsung heroes “who have been a quiet, but unwavering, anchor in our neighbourhoods”.
They had a tough run the past few years, but continued to be “local legends”.
Annabel Reid is a multimedia journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and the Rotorua Daily Post, based in Rotorua. Originally from Hawke’s Bay, she has a Bachelor of Communications from the University of Canterbury.
