Are you looking to start a dog treat business?
Now is an excellent time to start because the business has been booming and has an upward trend.
If you have a dog or a pet, you must know how much they adore treats. Pet owners are always buying treats to spoil their fur babies.
According to Forbes, 44.5% of American households owned dogs while 22% had cats in 2022.(1). If you want a sustainable business, consider making and selling dog treats.
But how do you start the business? Do you need baking experience to start a homemade dog treat business?
Read on as we explore the following:
- Is a dog treat business profitable?
- How long do custom dog biscuits last?
- How to start a dog treat business.
Shall we get going?
Why Starting a Dog Treat Business is a Good Idea
When starting a business, it is always good to go for something sustainable. You want products and services that will sell today and in the coming months.
Sometimes catching a trend pays off, but it is only suitable for the short term.
A dog treat business is one of those sustainable businesses. People will always have dogs and buy treats to reward and spoil their canine babies.
In short, with a solid dog bakery business plan, you will always make sales.
Besides, this business has low start-up costs. A lot of dogs treat business supplies are not expensive.
Consider this if you are looking for an easy-to-start business with great returns.
Related: 50+ hobbies to gain or acquire money from home.
How To Start a Dog Treat Business at Home: Step-by-Step Guide
Follow the following steps to set up a successful dog cookie business, whether from home or a commercial space.
Step 1: Find the Right Ingredients for the Business
The success of your future dog bakery business heavily depends on the nutrients you use. You want to use supplies that have high nutritional value for the animals. Besides, it is essential to add ingredients that dogs like.
While getting the list of ingredients to use, note and never use ingredients harmful to dogs(2).
Step 2: Try Out Different Recipes
If you have no experience baking, try out different recipes for starters(3). You can then give them to friends and family with pets for feedback. This will be an excellent way to determine which recipes to start with.
Step 3: Brainstorm Dog Treat Business Names
Your dog bakery’s name should be short, fun and catchy. It is much better if it shows what you deal in.
You can use free online business name generators to get ideas.
Step 4: Get a Business License
You may need a business license whether you plan to do this from home or commercial space. Check whether your jurisdiction requires you to get a food preparation license.
Note: Some jurisdictions may need you to get commercial space for this business. But many others will be fine with you running your dog treat business from home. Confirm whether you can run your business from your home kitchen.
Step 5: Buy a Liability Insurance
Get liability insurance that will protect you if somebody sues you if their pet gets sick from eating your treats.
The insurance will also protect your business or home space if any damage arises from running the business.
Step 6: Create a Dog Bakery Business Plan
Draft a detailed business plan highlighting how you will run the business.
How will you launch the business?
How do you plan to market it?
What recipes will you start with?
How will you package and store the dog treats?
Will you go with branded dog treats?
Step 7: Figure Out How To Price Your Dog Treats
When starting, you don’t want to cut yourself short or overprice the dog treats.
My rule of thumb is to be just within the market range. Of course, you may have to go a little higher than those in the commercial stores (they are produced in mass, so it isn’t easy to compete with them).
Put the following factors in mind while setting the price:
- How much do the ingredients cost,
- How much time you spent on making the dog treats and marketing,
- Packaging costs.
Professionals in the business recommend setting the price at least 30% higher from the initial cost.
Step 8: Launch Your Business
Again, you don’t need to have everything figured out to get started. You can start with one or two recipes and add more as needed.
Bake and package treats, then get the marketing work started.
You can launch your business on social media or your website.
What matters most at the start is marketing your treats. Put the word out there at any opportunity you find.
While marketing online, use relevant keywords to help buyers find you.
How Much Does it Cost to Start a Dog Treat Business?
One great thing about starting a dog treat business is that you can always use the baking items you already have. You do not have to buy items from scratch.
Some items you may already have include:
- Rolling pin,
- Mixer,
- Cookie cutters,
- Donut pans,
- Donut tins,
- Cooking sheets,
- Measuring cups and spoons,
- Baking oven,
- Ingredients such as wheat flour, eggs, and peanut butter.
You should budget for these items when buying equipment for your business. You will also need to factor in the following:
- Business license costs depending on your location,
- Packaging costs.
To keep your start-up costs low, start with tools you already have and buy just a few you need but don’t have.
Quality Ingredients, Supplies, and Baking Tools for Your Dog Treat Business
When starting, you want to keep the costs as low as possible. In short, you only want to buy items you don’t have.
But, for whatever ingredients you buy, you must ensure they are good quality and safe for pets. Follow these steps to get the ingredients to start your pet treat business:
- Thoroughly research and come up with a list of ingredients to avoid in dog food,
- Go through as many dogs treat recipes as possible and brainstorm what you can recreate,
- Find possible flavors you can add to your recipes,
- Select three recipes to start with; there is power in starting small. You can add more recipes as you go.
From this, you will have a list of ingredients to buy.
Where To Sell Dog Treats
Selling dog treats at farmers’ markets has proven to be a profitable venture. Start by checking out your locality’s requirements and getting your business license.
You can also decide to start selling dog treats from home. Let your neighbors know that you sell dog cookies so they can make orders whenever needed.
If you want to start selling dog treats online, consider the following:
- Social communities such as pet subreddits, Facebook groups,
- Setting up your website,
- Pinterest,
- Facebook page.
There are many places you can sell custom dog cookies.
How to Promote Your Dog Treat Business
As with any business, you have to promote it to gain buyers.
Here are a few ways you can put your business out there:
- Tell Your friends and relatives: The first people you should tell when you start a dog treat business are your friends and relatives with dogs. They should not be your only target audience, but some may buy and tell more people about your business.
- Create Business Cards and distribute them when you can. For instance, you can walk to a dog park and offer custom dog biscuits to dogs. If the owner and the dog love it, you can leave them with your business card.
- Volunteer at Dog Shelters: You can volunteer for a few hours at your dog shelter and meet people looking to adopt dogs. You can pass them your business cards when you chat with them.
- Collaborate with vets. Do you know a vet or a friend who works in a vet clinic? Talk to them about your business. They can offer your branded dog treats to the dogs and, after that, your business cards.
- Start selling at farmers’ markets: Get a license to sell dog treats at the farmers’ markets and do it. It is a great chance to make sales, interact with pet parents, and even distribute your business card.
- Offer some goodies to your animal shelter: Consider gifting your local animal shelter a few bags of dog treats. It is an excellent way to put the word out there, meet people who work in the industry who are possibly dog parents and interact with people looking to adopt a dog.
- Take nice photos: Visuals are super important in your dog cookie business. Take nice photos for your social media. Be sure to use great lighting from different angles. Also, consider including your dog in the photos to attract more clients.
How much money can you make selling dog treats?
When you invest your money and time in a business, you want to know what you may earn in return.
Like many businesses, what you make will depend on many factors. In this case, what you make per month will depend on the following:
- How do dogs love your treats?
- How well do you package your business on social media and your circle?
- Your marketing strategy
- How often do you get retainer clients?
- How you price your dog treats.
Many beginners make $500-$1000 per month. On the other hand, full-time, experienced dog cookie sellers make up to $8000 per month selling dog treats from home.
How Profitable is a Dog Treat Business
A dog cookie business is highly profitable. This is a good option if you are looking for a business with low start-up costs and high returns. On average, beginners profit more than $500, which is suitable for a start as the business keeps growing.
How To Store Homemade Dog Treats
Ensure you store your dog homemade dog treats in an airtight container and store them in a fridge. This way, they can last up to 2 months. Storing them in a freezer can last them up to 8 months.(5).
Final Thoughts
We will now call it a wrap for “how to make dog treats to sell”. One final word is you can always start small and grow your business depending on the demand; you don’t have to compete with busy bones dog treats from day one. Remember busy bone dog treats and other big labels are mass produced so it is difficult to try to beat them. Start with a recipe or two, carefully price your goods and hit the ground running.
