Community Highlights: Meet Erica Pietrzyk of Pietrzyk Pierogi

Today we’d like to introduce you to Erica Pietrzyk. 

Hi Erica, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
Pietrzyk Pierogi started very organically. I was tending at a dive bar in Hamtramck (a once heavily Polish-populated suburb of Detroit) and my regulars demanded I make food for them, so naturally, I made pierogi because I have been making them my whole life. One week turned into a month, then years. I coincidentally was working for a milk manufacturer at the same time and spent my time there figuring out how to scale to larger production and food safety licensing I would need to do so. We became official in 2017 after I survived a domestic assault attack in 2016 and making pierogi for others helped me heal both mentally and physically. I found my passion and strength to be unafraid to go after what I wanted in life. We are an employee-focused company and are always working to build a prosperous environment for them so we can achieve more together and continue to give back to the community we exist within. We use fresh ingredients and still make all of our pierogi by hand just like Babcia did to preserve the quality and Babcia’s secret ingredient, love. We stand behind our slogan, “Make Pierogi, Eat Love” 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Smooth? Nah but that is the spice of life. Strife builds character and we are always growing and changing. We opened shortly before the pandemic and then had to keep pivoting to stay alive as we were considered essential due to being a food manufacturer. It kept our spirits up and we came out on the other side stronger with more focus and a clear path to run on that was laid before us due to the pandemic. 

Pietrzyk Pierogi is becoming its own living organism which is pretty cool to witness. 

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We are a female-founded company focusing on creating nutrient-dense ready-to-eat pierogi for the masses. Due to many years of being the employee I have chosen to build my company as a place for employees to grow so when the have finished their time here they can be in a different place in life from whence they came. We keep a very European mentality when it comes to Holiday and taking time to recoup your mental and physical self which keeps everyone happy and encourages them to do well when they return. 

Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
I’ve had so many mentors throughout my life. I love learning so I try to gain some knowledge from every person I interact with. My biggest influences come from my family, my parents, and grandparents especially. They all are/were very hard-working people, salt of the earth type ya know? Working hard, playing hard, carving out time for family. We’ve had many businesses throughout generations of family and I got to grow up within some of them and I learned a lot as a child watching the world of business happen around me. This was all before current technology too, like the fax machine was still relevant, but it was good for me because I got to see relationships be cultivated with suppliers and other contractors, and the same mentality my family imposed on us, they did on a larger scale with their companies. 

Outside of my family, I have been very blessed with meeting friends who have more experience and expertise in certain areas and are always willing to let me pick their brain space for hidden knowledge to help me level up. 

My staff completely inspires me every day. They show up, with great attitudes, ready to go, pinching thousands of pierogi every day and Neal is maestro making sure the band is humming along in sync. Some days are better than others but I wouldn’t want anyone else working for me more than anyone there. 

Pricing:

• Pierogi range from $15 per bag to $24 depending on filling.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.pietrzykpierogi.com
• Instagram: pierogi_queen_
• Facebook: PietrzykPierogi
• Twitter: 313pierogi