 Dogs Dig Tasty Treats
From
The Ottawa Sun - October 24, 2002
Written by Geoff Matthews, Money Editor
Sara Harley knows she has
developed a winning product at her small but growing home-based
business when one of her research assistants licks her face.
This banker-turned-baker is carving
a niche for herself in the gourmet dog treat market, and business
is so good lately she has had to contract out the production
process.
She still does the packaging,
shipping and marketing from her Kemptville home, where her husky
Bailey, giant schnauzer Cinder and a mutt named Mulligan are
only too happy with their taste-tester roles.
Launched in 1999, The Barking
Biscuit Company has been judged Ontario's most innovative local
business in an awards program sponsored by NEBS Business Products.
Harley became an entrepreneur
almost by accident.
After 19 years as a banker; the
last few as a branch manager with Royal Trust in Ottawa, she
saw her job eliminated after her company merged with Royal Bank.
"I had two choices-a separation
package or a different job within the bank. After having a big
debate with myself, I decided it was time for a major change
so I took the buyout."
Homemade recipes
She and her partner (now husband)
John sold their Sandy Hill home and moved to Kemptville, where
Harley started experimenting with biscuit recipes and trying
them out on her dogs.
"I started giving them out
to people and asking for their feedback," said Harley, before
launching commercial sales. In a year-and-a-half, she estimates
she baked 200,000 biscuits in her kitchen, burning out a couple
of oven elements in the process, before contracting out the cooking
work to Homestead Company in Alfred, east of Ottawa.
Packing and shipping is still
handled from a workroom in her home, with Harley's husband and
15-year-old son Cody pitching in when it gets too busy. That
may change soon, however, as she makes plans to hire staff so
she can concentrate on marketing.
Harley now has 50 stores carrying
her products-the majority of them in Ontario but a few in the
U.S., four in Quebec and one in Saskatchewan. She also fills
Internet orders, and has shipped her dog treats as far away as
Jordan.
Business has been growing steadily.
Harley estimates she sold about 1,000 bags of treats in 1999,
4,000 the next year and 11,000 in 2001, and she's hoping for
another 50% growth this year.
The biscuits are all made with recipes using natural ingredients,
she said, "and are good enough for humans to eat."
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