by Jo Barnes | photos by Janis Jean Photography –
The market was ripe for the opportunity. Local focus groups tested the product. Package design was finalized. The business was ready to launch … just as soon as everything was packed into grandma’s car!
Sisters Aurora (above), age 11, and Jasmine Thompson, age 15, of North Saanich, are the young entrepreneurs behind a new organic dog treat that they presented on April 13 at Kidovate at Victoria’s Bay Centre, a youth entrepreneurship market for middle school and high school students.
The inspiration for this venture came from the girls’ love of their own dogs. “We both like dogs and baking and cooking. These treats are good for dogs; they are healthy,” shares Jasmine.
The venture has provided a great opportunity for the girls to develop skills and abilities and to tap into personal interests. “I love dogs. They give you so much joy,” shares Aurora. “I would like to be working with dogs in the future.” Jasmine adds: “I’ve always loved cooking, and I have my Food Safe certificate. I like math a lot. I’ve made lists of ingredient amounts and nutrition percentages in the treats.”
While the girls are learning a lot through this process, at its core, their project comes down to their love of dogs. As well as serving as an inspiration for the sisters’ venture, the family dogs, Jasper and Wiggles, have been enthusiastic taste-testers of the treats.
“Pets are so important for us,” says Jasmine. “They are living beings that we are responsible for, and we’re wanting to make products that are good for them.” After doing a fair amount of online research, the girls decided on two types of dog treats: salmon and pumpkin. The treats have no preservatives, antibiotics or hormones. They are handmade using fresh organic ingredients without gluten, wheat products, lactose or added salt.
“They’re really healthy for the animals,” comments Aurora. “Salmon helps to give them silky shiny coats, and pumpkin is good for digestion. Also, there’s no salt in them because it’s not good for dogs.” The salmon treats feature locally-caught sockeye salmon and the pumpkin version is made from locally harvested pumpkin. Organic elements such as oat, rice, and chickpea flour, hemp seed oil and beetroot powder are sourced from the mainland. Everything is done by hand in small batches. The salmon has gone through a canning process which makes any bones extremely soft and edible. The pumpkin has been cut into pieces, retaining the peel, cooked, blended and finally canned.
“We blend all the ingredients, weigh each amount and then put it into silicone molds. We bake them at 300° for about half an hour,” outlines Aurora. Jasmine adds: “Then the treats continue baking in our toaster oven at a dehydrate setting. They last longer this way.”
After reviewing a number of possibilities, two mold shapes were chosen for their appeal. The salmon version is a bone-shaped treat; the pumpkin variety is in the shape of a heart. “We chose these shapes because they’re so cute!” says Jasmine.
During the process, the sisters have been sharing the product with friends and family. Positive reviews have been affirming. “We gave away samples to our friends and cousins to give to their dogs, and they all wanted more,” smiles Jasmine. Aurora adds: “One of my friends told me that her dog would get upset if her family pulled out any other dog treats. Her dog wanted our treat!”
Participating in the Kidovate event means taking care of an assortment of business-related tasks including signage, display, and visual marketing. Jasmine, a long-time craft enthusiast, created numerous sampler packages. “I put a few of the dog treats in small squares of cheesecloth and tied them up with specially designed labels that I make. It’s a creative giveaway,” she says.
From initial idea to creation to marketing, the product journey can be full of twists and turns, but for these two girls, enthusiasm reigns. “We worked around things that came up. We researched quite a bit,” relates Aurora. “No matter how hard you think it might be, you can succeed.”
And, just how good are these treats? Well, based on their wagging tails and happy demeanor, they are definitely Jasper-and-Wiggles-approved!
For more information, visit www.ompetfood.ca.
