Yesterday was a beautiful day here in Maine. It wasn’t more than a week ago we had been greeted by the first snow flakes dancing about our yard, bringing a taste of what was to come. Then yesterday we had 60 degrees and bright sunshine, getting to see the last of the luxurious gold, fire red, and burnt orange leaves that were still clinging to their branches. I do love Maine in the fall.

We live on the ocean, too, so we get to have the wondrous waves of the Atlantic lapping at our feet, for the dogs to run in (but not swim… neither like to swim for some weird reason. Strangest labs in the world!). Every so often, however, we’re privy to ours and our neighbors choices for products they consume. It’s not often we see trash washed up on our shores here, but it does happen. We live in a small community, but near larger ones. Picture the rocky coastline of Maine spotted with quaint little towns, clapboard houses with sea-stained gray siding and bright white trim. Small country stores in one town, with Wal-Mart’s in the next. Strip malls, big malls, Home Depots and Lowes right next door to each other vying for customers of their competitors. Large businesses and small there to make our lives easier as consumers.

I know I’m as much a consumer as the next person. I make no excuses for needing to purchase things that come wrapped in plastic. Do I try to avoid it at all costs? Absolutely. Do I wish there was a better way? Of course. When you purchase our product, ALL of our packaging can be put back to the Earth and NOT in a landfill, or even worse, into our oceans. We encourage you to compost our bag and box, grow your own food, even if it’s just a potted tomato plant on your balcony of your apartment. Toss our bag into a fireplace/woodstove/bbq pit, and recycle our paperboard box. Whatever you do, just don’t throw it away. We made a conscious decision to rid our packaging of detriments to the environment.

What happens when you do use plastics and just toss them to the side of the road? Toss them into the trash? That lighter you use to light those cigarettes that damage not only yourself but our environment. That bottle of Coke that gave you a moment of enjoyment but seems to last forever on our Earth?

Beware, as this link I’m posting is graphic. I promised myself that I wouldn’t look at it just based on the description of it. But, I couldn’t neglect what is true, and neither can you. These pictures of birds were taken on an island that is 2,000 (two THOUSAND) miles from the nearest continent. Keep that in mind as you view what our packaging choices have on the environment. Not just packaging choices as consumers, but as manufacturers. Demand that the companies you purchase from find better ideas! Vote with your dollars. Buy a refillable lighter, use a stainless steel water bottle and make your own iced tea instead of buying Coke. Buy Barkwheats!

And now, the big show. From Chris Jordan.

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.

It’s been quite some time since my last post, and things have been interesting around these parts during all that time. We’ve been in the process of redesigning our packaging and “brand”, which we’re extremely excited about. We’re working with an artist in Montana, Abby of www.folkdogart.com, to paint us some wonderful folk dogs on the most vibrant of backgrounds one could imagine!

These are the SeaVeg & Chamomile background, and the Blueberry & Lavender background.

So with all of these new designs comes some work with The SOAP Group in Portland to “be the megaphone for our voices” as the prez says. Be on the look out for our names and faces (hopefully more name than faces… ) as we gain the traction to keep climbing the trail we’re on.

And, one note about our blueberries… you’re going to have one lucky dog! By many accounts the berries from Moon Hill Farm are the best grown in Maine. They’re MOFGA Certified and I’ve put them against many other berries, and these are the sweetest blueberries I’ve ever put in my mouth! Mmmmm, so tasty! If you live near a Whole Foods around here (I think the Portland, Maine and the Boston ones) try and find them in the freezer. You won’t be sorry.

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.

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?

Or will you vote for this?

Will you vote for this?

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?

As I had mentioned, things are hectic here lately. Must I say that I’m able to keep my cool in the midst of a flooded bakery (and basement), outgrowing said bakery (and basement), researching new equipment, finding funding for said equipment, and developing new flavors of Barkwheats? If I must, I’d be lying!!! This is hard stuff!

I was talking with a manufacturer of moulding rollers today and he said something that sometimes I do lose sight of. We make a product that people value. People and their companion animals really do love Barkwheats, and that’s what’s driving our success. People talking about it, dogs enjoying them, humans enjoying their dogs enjoying them… all of this enjoyment from our biscuits is so completely fun to take part in, that it’s hard to think that I can get lost in the rest of it. But, alas, I do sometimes.

So here I am to exclaim that I am not a hard-nosed business person, I don’t have a thick skin, I am one track minded and that track just happens to go in a million different directions, sometimes seeming to never get to the final destination. Is this easy? Absolutely not. Is it fun, exhilarating, and any other positive charged adjective you could think of? Absolutely it is!

All of the toil and trouble I’m going through hasn’t rubbed off on Renee, which is so awesome. Nice to have a real level headed partner (in business and life) to keep me grounded when I go off dreaming so big that it gets a little crazy. Then we meet in the middle and that’s where all of our fabulous ideas are born!

To the core of things is where I go. We make a great biscuit that humans love because their dogs love them. Simple as that.

Phew! Finally, I have a moment to breath. Barkwheats has been growing, as I previously mentioned. We’re now being distributed through PPI, Pet Products, Inc, and are extremely excited to be working with them and their massive network of retail stores. We think Barkwheats will do very well for them. With this increase in activity, the current “facility” is just a bit too small to handle anything more. We continue to grow aside from the PPI distributorship, so we want to make sure things are moving forward with a new space to handle the increases we will continue to see in our business.

PLUS, we’ve been having tons of rain the past 2 weeks, and this morning was the first peek of sunshine I can remember since we came back from Belize (seems like that anyways). I think it’s been raining for like 12 of the last 15 days or something insane like that. With that rain brought about a basement flooding. And, as many of you know, we built our bakery in our basement. Quick drive to work, for sure, but just too small, and now that we’ve been flooded out (nothing major got ruined, as we put everything on pallets down there juuuuuust in case) we are taking this opportunity to really look into our growth options. Gotta keep your dogs well fed, right?

So onward and upward Barkwheats goes. We have a lot (and I mean a LOT) of exciting things coming down the pipe in the next few months, so be sure to stay tuned.

Here’s a video of a farmer we work with in Belize, Mariana Shol.

Things are growing like crazy this time of year. The spinach, the basil, the Barkwheats… We’re currently looking for room to expand! More to come, when I have the time…

As I’m writing this, my mixer is going full speed with a batch of Ginger & Parsley flavor dog biscuits getting ready to be worked. We have been in the midst of a rather large order for PPI, Pet Products Inc, who is a distributor of natural and health minded pet products in New England. It’s the biggest order we’ve ever received, and we’re ecstatic about the opportunity! So, with all of this time spent down in the bakery, alone, I get to “think” a lot. My dad, who also spends his days in a kitchen, often wonders if it’s good thing or a bad thing to be left alone in thought for the number of hours he and spend on a concrete floor.

What I have been thinking lately is… would it be easier to run my business differently? Would it be easier to call up a distributor, tell them I need 2k pounds of flour, 40 pounds of parsley, 80 pounds of ginger, etc? Would it be easier to not care? To not concern myself with the people who grow the ingredients I want to use? To be able to have unlimited supplies of the ingredients I need? The answer is quite simple. Yes, it would be easier. Is it right, though?

Barkwheats is built on the premise that dogs deserve a really tasty, healthful treat that is safe for all dogs with grain allergies. We craft dog biscuits to put it simply. Among the many other makers of tasty treats out there, we just happen to have a strong value center in the business, where we know deep in our hearts that to make a truly amazing product, you need truly amazing ingredients. And to get those ingredients, there is no where else to go but the source. We’re building a nice network of some great farmers, great people, and their great families. I know that with every granule of ginger, I’m helping a Belizean family to continue to farm, continue to eat, and continue to put their children through school. That with every waft of sea vegetable (mmmm, low tide) I know that the harvesters are cutting their crops with one thing in mind, the health of the beautiful ocean along our coast, and that with every egg I crack I know a new member of a family (Enna, in particular, of Mandala Farm) is living a wonderful life on their farm.

So, yes, it’s hard. It’s not easy at all to buy small quantities from many people, engage with them directly and make sure they’re being paid a price that works for them. But, it’s so much fun. It’s so gratifying to walk up and see the people who’s hands are in the dirt delivering the freshest ingredients I can possibly use to give you and your dogs the peace of mind that you’re eating the most healthful, natural, and delicious treat that’s around.

Imagine, 12 hours a day in light blue room… lots of time to just think.

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.

Renee and I arrived safe and sound in Maine Saturday evening from our trip to Belize.  What an extraordinary trip it was!  To hear the stories of generations of families farming land down there, and to know all of that knowledge and dedication is going into growing ginger for our customers’ Barkwheats is really amazing.

I tried turning on my computer when I returned, only to find out the hard drive somehow died while being powered off for 2 weeks.  No idea what happened to that, but hopefully my iMac will be up and running tonight and Barkwheats will be in full force.  Lots and lots, and lots of orders to pack, bake, and pack some more.

We’ve far surpassed being offered in 100 stores, which was a milestone I wasn’t expecting to pass this quickly. It’s a testament to the “direct trade” aspect of the business, I think.  We’re so excited to connect you with our farmers, and our farmers to you and your dogs.

Well, I’m off to crack eggs from Mandala Farm in Gouldsboro that we picked up yesterday.  Receiving a test mill of buckwheat flour from a mill I’m planning on purchasing, too, which I can’t wait to see!  Then in September when HB Farms is delivering my buckwheat, I’ll be able to mill it all myself in house and have a greater control over the quality of the flour.  Exciting times are fast approaching for Barkwheats, so THANKS for helping us get here, and there!

Monday at the Sustainable Harvest International – Belize office was buzzing with Field Trainers and farmers.  I’m now sitting in front of 2 and a half pounds of wonderfully aromatic ginger (or shinsheer as in Kekchi Mayan) to bring back to the US with me.  This is the first bit of harvesting for the ginger, and the farmers are planting more as we speak for our wonderful dog biscuits.

To hear what it means to these farmers to have a market for their ginger is inspiring.  We’re continually amazed with what these folks are able to accomplish with what little they have.  To be able to give them access to a market  and get them funding to be able to send their children to school, put food on their tables, buy other things that we take for granted like soap and other small daily items.  The smiles on their faces tell us all we need to know about how working with Barkwheats makes them feel.  We’ll have many pictures up on our site soon so you can all feel what we’re feeling.

The next time I post I will most likely be back in the states.  We’ll be without internet starting tomorrow until we arrive back in the USA.

Above: Marianna Shol is the the principle farmer on her property, while her husband is working on the current road construction going on in Indian Creek village.  She showed us the ginger she has growing for Barkwheats.

We are finally at a regular computer instead of just our ipod touch, so we uploaded a few pictures for you to check out.  Enjoy!

<One of our ginger farmers, Gregorio.  We surprised him and his wife STILL made us food! Delish!

And a super cute boy in the village of Boom Creek

As I travel through Belize and visit the farms and the people who work them, I’m learning a lot about people’s visions of responsibility to the land they work.  Hearing the stories of Gregorio Caal and how he’s been farming that land pretty much since he was born, and his family doing the same before him, and because of SHI he’s now able to farm that land more productively and responsibly than he had ever imagined.  He’s since formed a farming cooperative in his community, expanding his reach for what things he grows, and providing a really great life for his family and his two wonderful dogs, Snoopy and rambo.  Completely precious dogs!

So today, we are heading to the TCGA and to a demonstration farm where they are growing more ginger.  Hearing the stories of the folk here is really something I could never have imagined.  Big time touching stuff, and I’m so happy to be able to work with them.

Till next time…

Well, we made it! It wasn’t easy nor graceful, but we are here in Punta Gorda. No one mentioned to us, however, that this is the start of the rainy season!

We started in Houston where we found out Honduras wouldn’t accept my passport because it expires next month! Awesome. So we had to change our entire itinerary and fly into Belize City instead. We also had to change the date we come home to May 8.

Continental Airlines in Houston made lifelong customers out of Renee and I. They basically saved us from having to spend $700 more on the flight. Thanks Continental!

So we had our 8 hour bus ride into Punta Gorda with kids hopping on at various stops to sell us the most fantastic smelling tamales and breads, purse snatchers and police, and spontaneous downpours. The rain forest portion of the ride was just beautiful!

So, that’s about all I can stand to write for now on this teeny iPod touch, so until next time…