Common Grounds

We all search for the best way to do things, the best way to us. Some find one’s best way too extreme, the others may find a best way too lackadaisical. But for all of these paths to the result, there is common ground. We found that to be the results of MOFGA’s Common Ground Country Fair.

In thinking about “Common Ground” you could think of it as the Earth. It’s the one thing that every single man, woman, child, animal and plant has in common. We travel the Earth looking for our answers. We had renewable energy folks, stunning silversmiths, Indian food next to dough boys, baby cloths and dog biscuits. To draw commonalities between all of those folks is no simple task. How do cloth diapers interweave with Indian food? How do felted earrings align with dog treats? Our common ground, the Earth we walk on and all strive to keep alive, vibrant, and healthy.

In today’s economic times it’s hard for people to want to purchase goods that are a little more expensive than some counterparts that might not have our common ground in mind. We realize that with our products, we aren’t going to be your run-of-the-mill dog treats that you can buy $5 for 10 pounds. The companies that produce those kinds of products have one thing in mind, and that is getting you to buy their product and them to make money, and lots of it.

I would urge you to think about the net impact of your purchasing decision. Do you want to purchase a product made by a company who has not a care about the environment, the one thing you have in common with them? The only true tie you have with that company is this Earth, and you shouldn’t take part in destroying it.

Purchase from companies who relish the fact that we all share this common ground. We all play a part in keeping the grounds we walk on clean and fertile. We all have a say in who gets the dollars we spend on products. For us, your dollars go to farmers that protect the earth. Your dollars go to help feed their families, and hundreds of other families because your dollars help their farms survive. Your dollars provide your dog with the most healthful, nutritious, and fresh treat available at the store.

Let’s work together and preserve this common ground that we all share. It’s mine, it’s yours, it’s all of ours.

What do we do?

This week I had the absolute pleasure of presenting Barkwheats at a conference alongside other B Corps King Arthur Flour and Comet Skateboards, as well as one of the Co-Founders of B Lab, Bart Houlahan. At the beginning of the conference I really was struggling a bit with what exactly Barkwheats does. I know we make dog biscuits that are absolutely the best ones that a person could buy for their companion, but we really do so much more.

So, I talked to my girlfriend, expressing my emotional distaste with saying “we make dog biscuits” and we came back to the core of what we do. We work with small scale, diverse farms to purchase ingredients directly from the farmers who grow them, help support them to keep farming and to keep feeding their family. The farmers that we work with in Belize through our partnership with Sustainable Harvest International now have a market for one of their crops, which diversifies their income, helps to bring them and their communities out of poverty, and helps to further accomplish SHI’s mission of stopping rain forest devastation and rebuilding the lungs of our Earth. How we do that? We make dog biscuits.

Another thing I became much more aware of at this conference was the importance of collaborative efforts, and relationship building. The word “trust” was talked about often. Personal relationships are so important, and there are many, many people who’s closest friend is their dog. And when I say many, I mean… a lot around this country. It’s extremely important for our dogs to eat a proper diet and nutritious treats to let them live the long life they deserve, as all dogs really want to do is be a happiness provider to us. Why would someone want to give them something that would do harm to their health?

Dogs can bring joy into so many people’s lives, and we want to bring some more joy into their lives by providing a healthy, nutritious biscuit that we all can feel great about. We know people care about their food, and people don’t think they do, deep down I know they really do. Without food, we wouldn’t live. Without farmers, we wouldn’t have food. With Barkwheats, we can help keep these farmers doing what they do best… providing us and our companions with life.

Voting and Changing Your Mind

There’s a commercial on TV right now for a cell phone company, showing people changing their minds constantly. I want a donut… no, I want a croissant… I’ll wear this pair of shoes… no, maybe that pair goes better. Life is in constant motion and people are constantly making decisions based on their needs and wants at that moment in time. There is an ocean of choices for every facet of life, from food to clothes to political candidates to cars to drive, etc.

When you go down to the pet food store or through the pet aisle at the health food shop, you’re also faced with many choices. Natural, organic, meat based, vegetarian… what to do?! I know it’s hard to make split second decisions in the shopping isle. You see the price of products and more often than not, the winner is the lower priced box of what-have-you. You might think, “I know the more expensive one is better, but I can get two of these boxes for the price of that one”. Sound familiar?

So, you’re standing there looking at your choices, your mind is changing from this to that ever second or two. Now, you have the choice to vote. Your dollar is your voting ticket.

Will you vote for this?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rs_butner/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Or will you vote for this?

Will you vote for this?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/farmsanctuary1/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Or would you rather vote for this?

While there are many, many treats for your dogs out on the market, I know who I’d be voting for with my money. The company who knows their farmers, right?

One and a Half Inches of Magic

Those who know me, know that I’m not one to toot my own horn… well… actually I am.  I love talking about the good that we do to hopefully inspire others to do the same.  And when I mean love, I mean I LOVE talking!  Now, those who know me, know that’s the truth.

I’m often confronted with the difficulty of telling the whole story and then keeping in mind it’s a dog biscuit.  There’s so much that go into these one and half inches of magic! Whose story to choose to tell, and why?  Is it the 100 acres that Mandala Farm chooses to farm with Fjord horses instead of diesel tractors?  Is it Gregorio Ical who has a solar powered entertainment hut to relax after his hard days on the farm.  Or is it Snakeroot Farm whose owners not only grow our parsley, but attend 7 farmers’ markets a week during the summer/fall to keep their farm and lives going.  In each one of our dog biscuits, there are 20 different stories to choose from, not to mention our own and our dogs, and then the story you’ll have with your dog when you share these biscuits with them.

With a little grain-free dog biscuit and the super beneficial ingredients packed into each one, it’s got to be magic that we can pack all that goodness into each and every one.