How to Make Dog Treats at Home and Sell Them
Making dog treats to sell from your home is very rewarding. Pet treats can be sold within States that you are registered in and it is affordable and easy to start a dog treat bakery business with the proper steps.
Starting a pet treat bakery can be done inside the comforts of your home, as long as, your State allows you to. Most States do, but some require using a commercial kitchen.
So, where do you start? Where do you find places to sell them?
As the owner of Pastries 4 Pets Inc., I get asked a lot of questions about starting dog bakeries. Since I have over 10 years of actual experience with operating Farmers Market booths, online sales, wholesale accounts and a brick and mortar dog bakery & boutique I am able to assist hundreds of bakers start up successful dog treat businesses. Some of the most common questions I am asked are the most important ones.
Is a Dog Treat Business Profitable?
A lot people ask me prior to starting a dog bakery, if a pet treat business is profitable? This is an important question to ask before investing your time and money in any business and the answer is, yes, if you set yourself up for success. Making your own dog treats sounds like an easy and fun way to make extra money, but you really do need to look at it as starting a small business. The more you put into owning your dog treat bakery, the more profits you will get out of it.
I always tell my "How to Start a Dog Bakery" students to start by baking a couple hundred of each of your dog treat recipes to be sure you absolutely, LOVE baking because every successful dog bakery needs to bake and sell homemade dog treats weekly to be profitable. You also need to know "Where and How to Sell Dog Treats" so you can make money selling dog treats immediately. Most bakery owners set up at Farmers Markets to display and sell their dog treats. Others choose dog treat bake sales, etsy or their websites. If you choose to sell on social media, ETSY or your website you will need to know "How to Attract Online Dog Treat Sales" so you will get customers quicker, there are methods to selling and shipping natural dog treats online. While the start up cost can be easily under a thousand dollars you do have regulations to follow which brings me to the next question...
Do you Need a License to Sell Homemade Dog Treats?
Yes, you need to be certified through your Department of Agriculture and regulations for making and selling dog treats vary from State to State so be sure to contact them directly. In the majority of States each of your dog treat and dog cake recipes will need to be registered annually, so pick 2 - 4 of your favorite healthy dog treat recipes to start with them.
Each treat or dog cake recipe will cost between $25 - $100 a year for you to register. Most States require a lab analysis which should cost you under $50 for each treat, luckily this is a one time fee, as long as you do not change the ingredients in your recipe. If you choose to decorate your treats with a dog treat recipe that hardens, be sure to send a decorated treat to the lab to have an analysis done on it prior to submitting your labels to your Department of Agriculture, treat your iced or frosted dog treats as separate recipes.
How Much Do Homemade Dog Treats Sell For?
Once you are registered, you will be able to make dog treats to sell any where you want within your State. Knowing how much to sell your dog cakes and treats depends on; how much your dog treat ingredients cost, how many hours it takes you to make your own dog treats, and how much your packaging costs.
Once you calculate those costs you will want to research how much the same style is selling in your area. If you are making grain free dog treats homemade, look at how much grain free recipes are selling for in pet stores, same goes for any wheat free dog treats, cookies, cakes, cupcakes, etc... You want to be sure you price your treats around the same price as your local competitors.
Are there Steps to Selling Dog Treats?
Owning a dog treat bakery, is "work", always remember that! It may look easy but if you want to be successful, you need to attract customers to your booth, event, craft show, website, etc... Never expect customers to automatically show up and buy from you. You need to let them know who you are and where you will be selling. Word of mouth and social media is a great way to share your business!
As far as other steps to selling dog treats, be sure to have them registered and go through the steps to become a "legal" business through your Department of Revenue, selling homemade treats for dogs should always be taken seriously so you do not accidentally make a dog ill. By choosing a business, instead of a side "hustle" you will always be confident in knowing that you are providing your furry customers with the healthy dog treats that are right for them. Being confident in your dog bakery business is a key to success.
Can I Sell Dog Treats on ETSY?
Yes, you can sell on ETSY but you should also put which States you are registered to sell in right on your ETSY page. Most people think that they need to register their dog cake and dog treat recipes in all 50 States to sell online, but you only need to register in the actual States that you ship too. Simply list the State or States where you are allowed to sell to and customers will be confident that you are selling healthy dog treats that they can feed to their fur babies. Honesty is the best policy and your customers will loyally come back to buy more!
Are There Online Courses on Starting A Dog Treat Bakery Business?
Starting a dog treat bakery business is definitely a lot easier if you have the correct information and knowledge. I offer my professional courses online and I have two complementary mini courses that you can start with! I want you to be successful when start your pet business.
Free Mini Courses on How to Sell Dog Treats:
Click here to learn how to start a pet treat business
Click here to learn how to attract customers to your dog treat bakery business
Additional Resources for Dog Bakery Owners:
For a full online class on selling dog treats online or on ETSY you can click here
For dog treat icing and cake frosting visit our website: Pastries 4 Pets