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

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.

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.

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!

Business has been crazy, hectic, trying, and keeping me up at night. We’re in the middle of negotiations for expanding the business, and that’s been taking it’s toll on Renee and I for a number of weeks, as it’s been drawn out much longer than anyone anticipated. What’s that saying… “Doing the easy thing isn’t always right, and doing the right thing isn’t always easy” or something like that. Well, Barkwheats is doing the right thing, and it certainly is not easy. Yet, it remains a priority in our lives because we know that dogs and their guardians count on us to provide a product that is produced in an ethical manner, and you want to have that choice, right? So we’ll continue to provide that choice for as long as we’re able. We’re tough, we’re Mainers, and we don’t give up easily no matter how difficult the situations become. Could we use some extra sleep? yup. It’s worth the lack of it right now, though.

Global Pet Expo is upon us, too. We pack up our booth today to ship down to Orlando for next week’s show where we get to meet with buyers from around the world who are looking for our product. It’s SO exciting to know we’re on the leading edge of the industry, and you are right there helping us to continue doing what we do by offering your pups Barkwheats. It’ll be an exciting show, for sure.

As the clock strikes 5:37am and I’ve finished revising information for the folks that need it (the bank) so we can continue on our journey, I’m ready to face what the world has to offer. Bring it.

I’d been interviewed quite a number of times over the past couple of months, and have given lectures and panel discussions all about the issues of “fairness” and how it pertains to Barkwheats. Think back to when you were younger and the elder folk told you to “play fair” and share with your friends, and treat people nice. It sometimes wasn’t the easiest thing to do, and believe me, when it came to sharing one of my mom’s brownies… well, I don’t know if I was ever really fair in cutting it perfectly in half.

Fair isn’t easy. But, how often is the right decision the easy one to make? You’re late for work or that first date, and the speed limit signs of 35 MPH just aren’t doing it for you. It’s easy to go 15-20 MPH over and get there on time, but is it right? That milk chocolate bar on the left is only 75 cents, whereas the one on the right is $2.39. You notice a Fair Trade Certified™ logo on the bar on the right, letting you know the cocoa didn’t come from child slave labor on the Ivory Coast. The easy option is to pay less, and get that extra pack of candy for later. It’s easy, but not right, or fair to those involved.

Our decisions that we make every day have consequences, good or bad. Since we are a consumption driven economy, the decisions about what we purchase have enormous implications throughout our country and our world. That chocolate bar might be more expensive, but get this: you can always just eat half of it! Save the other half for tomorrow. The dollars that you spend will put smiles on the faces of the farmers who took the care to provide you with a great piece of chocolate. Those dollars will be invested in the communities of those farmers, building schools, health clinics, safe areas for children to be children. Those dollars ensure that those children are not the ones who are enslaved to carry pesticides on their back and work 15 hours a day to give you that 75 cent chocolate bar.

As for that first date, call the restaurant and see if your date has arrived. If they have, send a glass of wine over there with a note saying you’re on your way. I bet it’ll work just fine.

We buy, we consume, and there’s no way around that. Our civilization has been built upon it. We have been duped into believing that “cheaper is better” because we can have more of what we want. When will the time of “better is better” come? Well, I think that time is now.

We have new packaging! We partnered with Abby McMillen who paints amazing Folk Dogs to bring our new look to life. They’re super adorable, heart tuggingly sweet, and oh so desirable. Collect all four!

“Blueberry & Lavender” and “Pumpkin & Sage” are our new flavors that have been getting some rave reviews so far. Tim and Lydia of Moon Hill Farm manage some amazingly sweet organic wild blueberries that we buy for our biscuits, and we’re working on getting lavender from a few places, one farm in New Hampshire and one of my friend’s aunts in Washington state. I do love knowing just where all of these ingredients come from.

Our pumpkin is coming from Two in the Bush Farm in Thorndike where Wini and Pete have been growing Long Pie Pumpkins for years for Fedco solely for the seeds. Previous to now they’ve been throwing the flesh out into the field, and now we get to make some ultra delicious snacks for your dog. The sage is coming from Snakeroot Farm and also from an herbalist, Pam, in southern Maine. She was instrumental in helping me figure out the new flavor combinations.

Our ginger finally finished up with it’s Fair Trade Certification and we’ve got the very first pet product to carry the FTC logo, which is a very big deal in certifying our fair labor practices and engagement with the farmers in Belize.

Well, that’s all I’ve got time for right now, the biscuits are calling my name down in the bakery!

Here’s to a great 2010!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.