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The City of Kyle is working on a new brand that’s as sweet as pie.
Kyle has begun the process to trademark the city as the Pie Capital of Texas.
The trademark will capitalize on the success seen by the Texas Pie Company, which has been a staple on Center Street for close to 20 years.
During that time, owner Julie Albertson’s passion for pie has turned into sweet success.
“When we first opened, we might get three customers a day, five customers a day, and Kyle was very small at that time. We didn't have as much growth as we do now. And now, we probably see 200-300 people a day,” said
The Texas Pie Company bakes and sells hundreds of pies every day and about 75 percent of their customers come from out of town.
“We're like a nice hidden gem in the Hill Country,” Albertson said.
Julie's pies even gained statewide attention when she won the “HEB Quest for Texas' Best” in 2016, bringing even more pie enthusiasts to the Texas Pie Company. The City of Kyle took notice.
“We've had previous branding initiatives that just didn't stick, but we've done some research and found out people are already coming here for pie and we thought let's just capitalize on that. You know, you've kind of already got something you're known for,” said City of Kyle Communication Specialist Kim Hilsenbeck.
That's how Kyle city staff chose the trademark “Pie Capital of Texas,” and that includes all kinds of pie at all kinds of different businesses.
“It's also pizza pie, it's Frito pie, it's your slice of the pi if you're a mathematician, a lot of the hotels are giving out pie candles, so it's a lot of different types of things like that,” Albertson said.
The hope is that the trademark will increase tourism in Kyle, benefitting both the city and business owners alike. “The real benefit of tourism is businesses; hotels, restaurants, bars, stores, so there's a real retail aspect to that,” said Hilsenbeck.
While Kyle may have some competition in the pie industry, so far no other Texas cities have claimed the brand. “There are some other cities in Texas that have some pretty good pie. We think ours is better, but we don't want to start a fight,” Hilsenbeck said.
The City of Kyle has applied for the trademark with the U.S. Patent and Trade Office.
They’re still waiting for approval.
“Believe it or not, they want to see you using it before they give you the designation,” said Hilsenbeck.