Like…whoa

As I say just about every post, wow has it been a long time since I last wrote.  Things are busy, busy, busy and I’m desperately trying to keep up on it all.  Is it easy?  Nope, not at all.  Is it craziness to the nth degree?  Yep!  It’s fun getting to see the people who have dogs that are so into our product, and hearing the farmers as they put their beds to rest for the year and I get to process the bounty of crops they supplied me with.  It’s very intense to see this once enormous space start to close in from the mass of pumpkins, freezers, moulders, ovens, and all the rest of it.

What’s new around here?  Quite a bit.  As I mentioned before, we had crop failures for our buckwheat, canola and chamomile.  Bumper crops of pumpkin and parsley, and decent crops of blueberries and sage.  Lavender is all dried and awaiting pickup, and I find myself continuously driving down to Swan’s Honey to pick up pails of the wonderfully sweet golden honey.

Revent ovens will soon grace the floors of the bakery as they are getting tucked onto a flatbed trailer all their own along with a 140 quart mixer to head straight from St Louis to here.  Then I can really start working on new recipes and new kinds of treats for all of the dogs that are craving more stuff!  I’ve got a few things up my sleeve, and some great producers to work with.

We’ve also picked up distribution (Wholesome Pet Distributing) in Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Kentucky and Pennsylvania which we’re super excited about.  Keep asking for Barkwheats!

And, that about winds it up.  Lots going on and I’m always finding myself standing there saying… “whoa”.  It’s crazy to think just a couple years ago I was doing this in my kitchen at home, and now we’ve got dogs enjoying Barkwheats from Maine to Washington.  nom nom nom

Transparency and Business

You may have heard a word bouncing around lately: transparency.  Lots of people from the President to business owners are talking about it.  It’s all about not just telling the world the good things that are happening, but explaining the not-so-good things, too.  And doing so before not-so-good things have a chance to become really bad things.  People should be informed about the goings-on with the businesses they support.

That being said, Barkwheats is known for our ingredient procurement directly from the farmers.  Well, on occasion there is a crop failure.  In this case, our buckwheat and canola crops were planted too late and didn’t have time to blossom and while it really, really stinks, it happens.  We try hard to not depend on one farm for an entire ingredient, but in the case of buckwheat and canola, it’s hard to have a few farms growing small amounts because it doesn’t make the venture worth it for the farmer.

It wasn’t the grower’s fault that it was planted late.  He was owed money for his milk (the main commodity on this farm) and because this small organic milk processor couldn’t pay him, he didn’t have enough money to fill the tractor with gas.  Barkwheats, unfortunately, was not in a position to provide him with the cash he needed, and so we suffer the consequences of another’s inaction.

We’ll be buying our organic buckwheat this year from The Birkett Mills in Penn Yan, New York.  They get most of their buckwheat from farmers in up-state NY and PA and I think a little of Ohio, too.

There’s my bit of transparency today.  Now, back to baking.

A campaign for sanity

I’ve been thinking lately about the progression of our business and where we’re going in the future. Right now, though it may not really seem like it, Barkwheats is one person (for the most part…Renee helps with designing things). I make the dough, the biscuits, pack them up, manage the paperwork, ship it all, create new recipes, give talks, etc. It’s time consuming, and while fun for the most part, it’s also tiring.

Don’t get me wrong, I love what I do, but am in need of your help. This is now my sanity plea for your pledges on our kickstarter campaign! The orders don’t stop coming in, which is great for our business, great for the dogs who enjoy (and depend on) our biscuits, and great for the farmers we work with. I want to keep this going and growing, but it’s getting harder every day. We need this new equipment in a desperate way to keep things moving.

There’s those that have pledged already, and for you I’m forever grateful for your support in what we’re doing. To those that haven’t, please do. There’s awesome rewards for various giving levels, and in addition to the sweet goods you get, you also get to know you’ve been a major part in helping a business grow. Not many business put their growth directly into your hands, so if you love what we’re doing, or your dog loves what we’re doing, make your voice heard! Otherwise, I have to wonder where the supporters are. I know you’re out there. You tell me every day you think what we’re doing is great, and your dog just loves Barkwheats and wants to always have a continuous supply on hand. This is your chance. This is your day.

All moved in and ready to expand

A month ago yesterday (easy to remember when that rent check is due…) we moved into our new facility in Bucksport, Maine! That’s right, no more 200 square feet of bliss in the basement of my house. Now, we’ve got a whole 4,000 square feet to work with, and of course, I already can dream of needing more space. It really is an amazing space and will let us expand our operations to bring more and more dogs our great, grain-free biscuits. One thing that hasn’t totally been helped by moving is my production capacity.

The equipment I use every day has been a great help to get Barkwheats to where it is today: in hundreds of stores around the country. We’re working with nearly 40 farmers between Maine and Belize providing them with incomes they didn’t have prior. And, dogs all over are getting to enjoy the fruits of our labor. The only problem right now is that we’re seeing such huge amounts of success (THANKS!) that the equipment is just not putting out the amounts that are needed. So, we need to upgrade our biscuit moulder, and that is where I turn to you.

The current moulder I use (this is what presses out the biscuits into the shape you feed your pup) is small, and takes about an hour to fill the oven. The new moulder will take that hour long process and condense it to about 85 seconds! It’s a massive increase in production, an increase that we desperately need to keep Barkwheats going. So, we’re working with kickstarter.com and you to be a part of our growth. It’s not every day that a company involves their customers in helping them expand directly, not just through product purchases.

http://www.barkwheats.com/kickstarter

We are trying to raise at least $25,000 on kickstarter.com, though we’d love to go way over that and see the $50,000 we need for the moulder. You are a critical part to helping Barkwheats grow, and in return for your help, we’ve got some really cool rewards for various donation levels. All the way from super sharp looking Folk Dog magnets to having your dog be on our next flavor’s packaging! So please, participate, spread the word and know you’re playing an important part to helping a company like Barkwheats grow.

Thanks!