HOW TO START YOUR OWN  PET TREAT BAKERY

Are you a self starter? Do you have management skills? Do you like to bake? Do you like pets? Do you have ambition  - enough to work long hours? Are you able to work back of the house as well as front - meaning not only do you do the baking in the kitchen but you have to be able to interact with the customers that come to buy. Answer these questions honestly cause if you don't you are only fooling yourself.

The scope of this guide is limited to an overview and introduction to starting your own pet treat bakery.

No. 1 important rule - cleanliness   Remember this always. Clean, clean, clean.

Start up costs

What to buy: If you are going to be a one person operation, you probably have most of what you need at home. You may want to invest in some animal shaped cookie cutters or have some made if the ones you want are too large. You will also need freezer space to store your product in until you package and take it to market.

Using this approach start up costs will be minimal - You won't have to talk to a bank about a business plan. If however you want to be larger, you are going to need the help of a bank and all that that entails. My suggestion is to start small - make sure this is really something you want to do for the long term.

Equipment 

Your home  kitchen will do nicely as a starter. Unlike a bakery for people, pet treat bakeries don't need to be licensed (at this time). One caveat though: Do NOT use meat products in your pet treats unless you plan to be licensed as a food processor. Contact your STATE health department about this and follow their direction. So stay away from fish and meat products unless you are willing to pay the money to support this endeavor as well as the training and licensing required.

Product

What to make? --- You can't go wrong baking for man's best friend - dogs. Add a few cat treats too. There are horses and hamsters and birds. You decide how extensive you want your pet treat bakery to be.  Recipes  for pet treats are everywhere. We have developed our own and had them checked by Humane Society personnel as well as our  vet.  

Suppliers

Buy locally as much as possible. That means if shopping on eBay, use the search function that allows you to pick suppliers close to your locale. You will save on shipping fees this way. Same goes for buying from other companies you find on the net or elsewhere. The closer to home, the better it is cost wise for you.

Packaging

Under packaging I include your company name and logo.   Think up a cute name such as Tina's Purrfectly Wonderful Pet Treats.  For us, since our pet treats are part of our bakery operation the name on our pet products is The Country Baker.

But try to make it unique and memorable.

Cute bags with paw prints on them can be purchased through gift wrap catalogs. At all times, try to find the wholesaler. This will mean buying in larger quantities but at very good savings. How to find wholesalers - check on the internet. Once you have found a few companies, call them and ask the receptionist if they are a wholesaler. If she doesn't know, then they are probably not. You could also ask if they have a wholesale catalog. Ask for a copy.

Labels

Find some unique and different names for your pet treats. People will remember them, find them amusing or fun and will purchase them. On your label you need to have the ingredients list, and be sure to add your name, address, phone number. You want people to be able to find you in the future.

Pricing

All natural pet treats command a higher price than commercially produced pet treats but be careful not to price yourself out of the market. To find out what the price ranges are check   on EBAY.    The prices on eBay generally reflect the going rates and are an accurate indicator of what you can expect for your product. Study these prices carefully. You don't have to have the lowest price and you certainly shouldn't be the highest either. Try for that middle ground.

PLACES TO SELL YOUR PRODUCT

Start with where we are - on eBay! We sell our treats here - you could too.

Ask your local vet and pet shops if they will carry your products. Just remember that the shelf life of your products is much shorter than commercially made treats loaded with preservatives, so you want to stay local so you can give them small amounts. Be willing to give credit for damaged packages too.

Farm market booths are terrific locations for cutting your teeth in marketing. If you can't sell there you probably can't sell anywhere. We sell a lot of our pet treats through our farm market booths.

Local fairs and craft shows - Our table fees are always covered by our pet treats. As a matter of fact, any show or event that says they don't want our treats coming in because  X number of people already selling their treats there - we don't bother with them. It wouldn't be worth it to us. Our biggest seller by the way is our pies and then our pet treats.

And just like a people bakery thrives "not by bread alone" you should diversify your products either with tie ins such as pet clothes, and toys or even unrelated items. Don't put all the eggs in  one basket holds true here.

Advertising

Business cards - as a minimum - your name, the name of your company and your phone number. Business cards are cheap - you can make your own if you like or find an inexpensive supplier if you want them to look more professional. Have them with you at all times. Hand them out everywhere.

A SMATTERING OF QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Q. How much money can I make?

A. It's up to you. You can keep your  bakery small - a one person operation or you can open a pet treat bakery in a mall kiosk or just sell at a farmer's market. You decide - you are the boss!

Q. What is the one piece of advice you would give to a newbie  to this?

A  Just do it!

Please visit my  My Reviews & Guides