 FROM BANKER TO BAKER
The Barking Biscuit Company is making noise in the pet industry
Pet Commerce
Magazine - Dec/Jan 2003
Written by Rachel Naud:
 When Sara Harley's 19-year-old
job as bank manager was eliminated in 1998, she was faced with
a tough decision: take another position within the bank or take
the money and run.
"I decided it was time to shake up my life," says the
41-year-old entrepreneur. "My family and I were living in
downtown Ottawa at the time, so we picked up and moved to the
country. We changed our lives and I changed my focus."
Harley bid adieu to banking and decided to take up baking. But,
her recipes were not geared toward her family - at least not
the two-legged members. "We had dogs at the time, and I
was looking for a healthy alternative for their own treats,"
she says. "Then I started playing with the idea of turning
it into a business."
Today, Harley plays to win.
Her business, The Barking Biscuit Company, recently took home
the provincial award for most innovative business in Ontario.
Her homemade dog biscuits captured the top prize in a national
business award program sponsored by NEBS Business Products.
"I won a Lexmark printer, scanner and copier machine, two
cordless phones, five nights accommodation with Holiday Inn anywhere
in Canada and 500 airmile points from the Bank of Montreal."
In Harley's application for the award, she wrote an essay describing
how her business progressed from when she first started. She
first developed her all-natural recipes through research and
experimentation, baking the biscuits out of her kitchen. She
tested them with friends and family, collecting opinions on scents,
texture and taste. And, of course, her three dogs: Siberian husky
Bailey, giant schnauzer Cinder and mixed breed Mulligan were
more than happy to lend a helping paw. She even handed out free
samples of her biscuits on the street attached with a survey
form, asking people for feedback on what they liked or didn't
like about the biscuits, whether they preferred to buy from stores,
through mail or through a web site.
"That really helped me get focused," says Harley. "I
started to focus more on selling to stores because the surveys
indicated that most people wanted to go to the store to buy biscuits."
Harley then approached different stores to see if they were interested
in carrying her gourmet biscuits. "The first store I approached,
I was expecting to have to leave samples and having to repeatedly
call them," she says. "But the woman there was really
excited and supportive. She ordered 50 bags right off the bat."
Today, more than 50 stores across Canada and the U.S. carry Harley's
biscuits. But, you may not find Barking Biscuits in just any
pet or grocery store.
"Our market is the gourmet food market," she says.
"We have some pet stores that carry the biscuits, but because
they are all hand-made, they are more expensive than bulk food
biscuits you get from major dog food companies. If someone is
looking for bargain biscuits, our biscuits aren't for them."
Barking Biscuits come in three flavours: Parmesan cheese, peanut
butter and vegetable. Each biscuit is made with all-natural ingredients.
No chemicals, additives, or preservatives are included and they
come in three forms: twists, barks and wedgies.
"The biggest challenge was to have biscuits that didn't
grow mould," she says. "Because they are all-natural,
it was hard developing them so they can have a decent shelf life."
Today, she guarantees her product for a minimum of eight months.
"I like to stamp the packages with a best-before date of
eight months, but we do have test batches that are a year-and-a-half
old and are still fine."
And, her business is doing more than fine. Sales for the biscuits
have increased with each consecutive year. "When I first
started selling them in 1999, I only sold about 1,500 or 2,000
packages. In 2000, I sold 4,100 bags, and in 2001, I sold 11,000.
I'm expecting at the end of 2002, we will have sold about 15,000
bags.
With business increasing, Harley now farms out the baking of
her biscuits. She also developed a web site, www.barkingbiscuit.com,
which promotes direct sales. This, she says, leaves her more
time to focus on sales and marketing so she can achieve her next
goals.
"My primary goal is to expand to more retail outlets - both
in Ontario and across the country," she says. "My secondary
goal would be to expand our market in the U.S., and thirdly,
I want to add a non-allergenic biscuit to the line."
And, with the support of her family, there's no doubt Harley
will achieve her goals.
"You need the support of your family to make it," she
says. "My husband and son are very supportive. They are
really excited about the success of the business and often pitch
in and help when it gets really hectic."
The support goes both ways. Harley's husband is also self-employed.
His line of business: conducting seminars on how to start your
own business.
Although it's not certain if Harley has ever been tutored in
one of her husband's seminars, there's one thing that's unmistakable.
The Barking Biscuit Company is sitting pretty and the pet industry
is taking notice.
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