A healthy diet is critical for any dog's long life. At Boou Bakery, Rebecca Cross, owner and baker, ensures this philosophy for all dog food sold at its retail location in Conception Bay South.
The bakery opened its oven doors in 2015, aiming to provide dog food of the highest quality and make it a fun, enjoyable experience for pet owners.
In those early days, the Bakery’s product offering was more geared toward dog treats, including lines of jerky treats, cakes, cupcakes, and ice cream. At that time, the Boou Dog Treats business name emphasized that, but it no longer fully encompassed what they were about.
“Ever since the inception of my business, it’s been essential to highlight the freshness of our products, which sets us apart from other products in the pet treat space. Everything was, and still is, made fresh to order, so the bakery label felt much more fitting,” said Cross.
Cross said this means all the ingredients her company uses are human-grade, fresh, and the highest quality.
“We use premium cuts of meat and no cutting corners with fillers and offcuts. We use seasonal veggies from local farmers whenever possible,” said Cross. “All products are taste-tested by myself and Brandie (Rebecca’s dog) and approved as a final step.”
The taste-testing process is a family affair, said Cross
“Anything new we make gets taste-tested by both pets and humans! Brandie, of course, is the first to try anything, usually by my immediate family and their pets, and if we have enough on hand, I’ll sample some with our customers for their thoughts.”
She said that although their treats aren’t intended for people, humans are always included in the taste-testing process.
But what are the challenges when you expand your product range beyond baked treats? Cross said a lot of it is trial and error, but she is a perfectionist, which can be good and bad. She often has a particular vision for new products, and if it cannot be executed precisely as imagined, she goes right back to the drawing board.
“The process either goes great or ends with restarting from scratch. Once we launched our first cake flavour, for example, it was almost two years before we expanded to the next cake flavour!” said Cross.
What is the process of developing a new product? How long does it typically take from concept to final product?
Cross explains that every new product idea usually comes from something unrelated to pets or baking.
“It might be something I saw in a magazine or a shop window downtown that sparked an idea or a random thought that popped into my head. I’m naturally very creative, so keeping those ideas flowing is important,” said Cross. “I’m also very cognizant of not consuming social media or inspiration directly in the realm of pets, and that helps keep my ideas fresh and exciting and allows me to develop unique products.”
Cross started her business with a booth at the local Farmers Market in St. John’s in 2015. When her new storefront opened in 2023, she promised a different customer experience. In 2024, she has new plans which she isn’t disclosing yet. She will reveal that customers can still look forward to the bakery’s seasonal collections.
“Our big seasonal collection drops: Fall, Halloween, Thanksgiving this year and, of course, Christmas Collections will add to the mix of in-store specials and features,” said Cross.
What sets Boou Bakery’s dog food products apart from more prominent dog food brands is that they lack preservatives and other ingredients that canines don’t need. It ensures a happier, healthier dog, says Cross.
“We don’t need more pet treats filled with additives and poor-quality ingredients on the market. What we need, and what they deserve, are fresh treats made from real food that will allow them to thrive and live full, healthy lives,” said Cross
If you want to learn more, you can visit Boou Bakery online or on their Facebook page.
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