Today we’d like to introduce you to Domenic Roberto.
Hi Domenic, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
Angela came into my life as a foster dog the very day before COVID lockdown; she had just been returned to the rescue because although the family she was with loved her, they could not keep up with the twice-daily insulin injections she needed when it was discovered she had gestational diabetes after an emergency spay. Kara and I worked tirelessly to help bring her weight back up to a healthy level and researching ways we could improve her blood work. The deeper we read into the dog food world, both treats and especially kibble, we began cutting out commercial treats and using recipes Kara found with simple ingredients. This simple switch in treats led to immediate energy and behavioral boons, and the treats further increased in values as we incorporated dehydrated proteins like beef liver, turkey breast, and chicken feet. With her energy and health improved, she was like a new puppy! We, therefore, started to expand our selection and offer treats for sale online before venturing out to farmer’s markets, and craft shows the following summer. We grew ourselves quickly, and many customers found their dogs selecting our treats over the ones they’ve always used at home! Many other customers sought us out to spoil their allergy-prone dogs who need simple ingredients from a trusted brand; we even developed five flavors of gummy treats simply though a woman asking us to help spoil her toothless dog. After a successful year of growth, we signed a lease at the Lakeside Mall to get our treats stocked in a physical location. We also formed connections with several local retailers to stock our treats as well: Rocko’s Pet Stop, Armade in Michigan, etc. We plan to continue growing the business and wish to expand our skill sets into pet care, nutrition, and grooming to become a one-stop dog shop for high-quality, well-researched care in every facet of a dog’s life.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Neither Kara nor I have any business experience whatsoever, so doing the background research into things like licensing, labeling, marketing, and all the paperwork in between, we have had to learn as we go. Although that has certainly led to struggles here and there, we’ve managed to learn a lot in our brief history. Due to our growth and increase in number of connections, particularly local farmers, our biggest struggle has been to keep up with growth and increasing orders while maintaining our own lives. We now purchase tens of pounds of animal byproduct from several local sources at a time, and our batch sizes for cookies have increased exponentially. Effectively running the business, attending craft shows and markets, and keeping up our supply with the demand from our customers is more than a full-time job for both Kara and I. Thankfully, we are not alone. Kara’s family has assisted with making toys, staffing our store, and supporting us fully while letting us spoil their own two dogs. So, despite the usual weekly struggle of balancing work and life and taking care of our own nutritional needs alongside the dogs, we have a village behind us that has kept the process as smooth as possible as we learn to manage our growth and expand.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Angela’s Treat Stash?
We are an all-natural, filler, and preservative-free dog and cat treat company that focuses on simple recipes and locally sourced ingredients to combat the poor regulation in the current pet-feed industry and educate owners on ways to improve their dog’s well-being. In addition to producing and selling our single-ingredient, dehydrated proteins and oat flour-based cookies, we also offer in-person and virtual nutrition consultations to our customers who wish to supplement kibble or swap entirely from it. Aside from feed options, we offer a wide selection of enriching toys for the mental health of dogs, such as snuffle mats and snuffle balls, which you can hide pet treats in for them to use their brain and find. Customers within our radius also can schedule dog walks, check-ins, and overnights through our website where Kara focuses on a large clientele of happy, spoiled pets. People should know that we can make custom treats for any dog that has medical requirements or allergy limitations and that custom treats can extend to making a fully new flavor and design for a brand or business. For example, one of our best-selling cookies we sell exclusively at Rocko’s Pet Stop, the “Crowned Jewel Cookie,” incorporates the store’s freeze-dried liver and is shaped as a parrot to honor one of the store’s pet mascots. We also offer wholesale treats to any other retailer interested in working together! We are so proud of our brand and product in how it brought Angela, our diabetic dog, from just doing okay to having more muscle, energy, and enthusiasm than we had ever seen before. It also makes us proud to source so much of our protein from local farmers whose livestock has the chance to eat pasture and produce higher quality meats for our furry friends to enjoy, especially parts most of us wouldn’t eat like hearts, tails, and livers!
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
Being complete amateurs at running a small business, we often have difficulty discerning what has come down to luck and what has come down to overworking ourselves. We are truly lucky, however, to have found such an amazing network of local businesses to partner ourselves with for support. Through events at Canterbury Village, we were able to meet the owner of All in the Family Creations, who now stocks our treats while we stock her dog bandanas and jackets… We met the owner of Sew Cute by Joyce mere days before opening our store in Lakeside Mall, and now her dog ropes and snuffle balls are some of our best sellers at the store. Rocko’s Pet Stop asked us to create a custom cookie or their store, and now it’s one of their best sellers. We’re lucky in that those we’ve met in the dog world have been willing to give us and our products a chance. Despite whatever pitfalls we may reach through the journey, our community of people has blessed us with advice and a feeling of security that not every small business may feel.
Pricing:
- Average bag of treats: $9.99
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.angelastreatstash.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angelastreatstashllc
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/angelastreatstashLLC/
Image Credits
Golden Fox Photography
