+ Handcrafted Organic Dog Biscuits: In conversation with President of Robbie Dawg Inc., Lisa Fortunato

Robbie Dawg Inc. was founded in 2003 in Brooklyn, New York. They handcraft their dog biscuits and cat treats using only high quality, organic, human grade ingredients. Robbie Dawg was founded out of love and concern for Lisa's Tibetan Spaniels, Robbie & Lulu. Lisa has created a truly unique company. She is also the author of The Everything Cooking for Dogs Book. Thank you Lisa, for speaking with us.

First of All, tell me a little bit about Robbie Dawg. How did you come to be doing what you are doing now?
Sure. My background is actually Graphic Design, Marketing, Fundraising, Special Events, and things like that. In 2003, I was the director of annual giving for a private school in Brooklyn. It was because of my background, and the fact that I hadn’t had a dog since I was a kid, that I wanted to throw a party for my dog Robbie, who was turning a year old.

I went looking for some type of goodie bags for the party and I couldn’t find anything that I liked. I said to myself, “Well okay, I like to bake, I can certainly make some biscuits.” I looked for recipes and couldn’t find anything that I liked so I created my own recipes. All of the dogs loved it, all of the owners were telling me how much their dogs loved it. There was a good buzz about the biscuits.
The following week, I was laid off from my job. I had worked there for three years and I was angry and upset. I said to myself, “I’ll never work for anyone again.” I made a list of ten different jobs I could do to be independent. The timing was such that I said, “I’m gonna make dog biscuits.” I knew after the party for Robbie, that I could have done just that but I wouldn’t have been motivated enough at that time.

I was lucky because I had a good severance and that allowed me the time to create recipes and the develop a business plan. I started baking in December of 2003 out of my apartment. I live in Brooklyn, NY and have less than a 60 sq. foot kitchen. All through 2004 I baked out of my apartment. Eventually, it became insane. I have a little more space than the average New Yorker, but between the flour, the boxes, the bags, and the orders and everything else it got to be too much. At that point it was either we needed to get a contract baker or become a manufacturer.

My Husband, I credit him with two very important things; one, he was the one that said we should go organic and we started organic from the beginning. Two, he said I think you should stay in control of the product and become a manufacturer. So, we refinanced the mortgage on our apartment and then found the space where we bake now. We have been in that space for three years now. We renovated the space, put everything in from new floors, to air conditioning, to ovens, the whole gamut. We have doubled our sales each year. Right now we sell to about 700 stores and 45 states. We just keep on growing each year.

So, tell me a little bit more about your line of dog biscuits & cat treats.
Since our inception, everything has been organic. In all of 2004 and 2005 we did everything by hand, and we were using organic oat flour and organic wheat flour. In that time, I ended up getting another dog, Lulu. She has a really sensitive digestive system. She is allergic to wheat. We had a lot of people, and this is before the big recall, say to us, “ my dog is allergic to wheat, oh my dog has an upset stomach.” As a result we decided to do everything wheat, corn, and soy free. The flour that we use is organic brown rice flour, we use organic baby oats, and we use organic oat flour. That is our base. Then we also use organic cheeses from Wisconsin, grass-fed beef from Colorado, organic unsalted peanut butter from upstate New York, we use chicken that is hormone and antibiotic free, we use bacon from Applegate Farms which is nitrites and nitrate free. All of the ingredients we use are human grade, they are of the highest quality. I guarantee that some people don’t even eat the high quality bacon we use. We also never add salt or sugar. We are really staunch about not doing what is the trend right now which is to make biscuits look like bakery treats, which are sugary, iced treats, with sprinkles and things like that. It really makes me crazy. Dogs are so much smaller than us. You wouldn’t give a two year old an iced doughnut with sprinkles because they would be bouncing off the walls. Why would you give something like that to your dog? Dogs, just like us do not need all of that added salt and sugar. Another thing that also makes us unique is that we do not use wheat gluten, we don’t use any preservatives, flavors, additives, dyes, colors, or anything artificial. Compared to other small companies, we are one of the few that actually uses animal proteins. We use chicken, we use beef, we use bacon. Dogs are carnivores and they do enjoy that. A lot of other companies just make biscuits that are peanut butter or apple, etc. They don’t have that meat flavor or the meat that dogs are looking for. That is another value that makes us stand apart.

Give me some more detail on why you choose to go organic.
As a family, the more I researched, the more and more our family was eating organic foods. I recently wrote a cookbook, which contains recipes from biscotti, to biscuits, to main meals. They asked me to do a whole section on nutrition. I certainly don’t claim to be a nutritionist or anything like that but I did a lot of research. The more and more I read about what they do to products, what they do to animals, what they do to the environment and everything else it is really bad. When you check out what dogs are going through; how many dogs do you know that have cancer, have diabetes, are overweight, or have other major health issues. I believe, it really stems from what they eat. They aren’t making the choice, the human is making the choice for them. Whether you are buying something because it is on sale, or whether you are buying it because you are not reading the ingredients, or whatever your making that choice for your pet.

When I was spending time researching that information and looking at the entire food cycle of the dog food industry, it has really changed in the last 50 years and there is more and more stuff in dog food. I think that is really having an adverse affect on our dogs health these days. In fact, my father-in-law called this morning. He had taken his dog to the vet and he has Colitis and he also has a tumor. He is having trouble going to the bathroom. He is only eight years old. The bottom line is that animals, just like people, every factor, from diet, to smoking, etc. can impact their health.
We choose to go organic because we wanted to provide something that if you had the time you would make for yourself. We provide something that is pure, simple, and of good quality. You are getting a great product.

After the big pet food recall, how did that chance things for your business? How do you think that will change the future of how people select food for their pets?
In an ironic twist of fate it has actually been really beneficial for us. Sales have gone up tremendously. In October we exhibited at an industry pet show. It was one of our best shows ever. I think that Is because everyone is much more aware of ingredients, not only in pet food but in their own food. I think what is happening is that larger companies are realizing that this is what we have to do. Most of the big lines are owned by even bigger corporations, that have like 20 different divisions. I think the awareness is only going to be beneficial. When I go to the grocery store myself, I walk down the isle and I’m like “Oh gosh, they are going organic.” For example, a “big food company” that makes Chicken Broth, which was typically made with MSG and other artificial ingredients is now making organic Beef Broth. I think that is great. I think the pressure is such now that people want that choice. For example, yesterday I was at Costco and I saw that they had a lot more choices in the organic section. When I was checking out I said to the cashier, “Oh I see that you have a lot more choices in the organic section. Do you find that more people are buying organic?” She said, “Yes! The more items we bring in, the more we sell.”

Where do you look for inspiration? Are there people, books, or websites that you find especially inspiring?
I definitely try to stay aware of many different trends. I follow the gourmet food market, I follow trends in packaging, I follow trends in flavor combinations. I try to stay aware of trends from small to large companies. I like to read about what other companies are doing. I keep a close eye on a few to see what they are doing; how they are progressing, how they are changing, and what they are trying to do. I am also a member of the Organic Trade Association (OTA) so I like to follow what is going on in the organic lines, what they are doing, what is available, etc.

Beyond that, I look into the areas of ingredients and things like that. I try to stay on top of all those different trends. I even watch a program called Unwrapped on the Food Network. It is a great show, they focus on a different type of food each episode and they show small and large companies. It really inspires me. It makes me think about how our company can grow. Like us, some of these companies started in a small kitchen too.

It is really the entrepreneur that creates change that affects everyone. It is the small companies, not the big ones. That is our mission as well.

I read on your website that you give back to non-profit animal rescues. Tell me more about that.
One of the rescues we frequently give to is Bideawee which is located in New York, they have 3 locations, two on Long Island and one in New York City. When I was a kid I grew up on Long Island my high school was across the street from Bideawee. I would go there everyday after school. Finally in ninth grade my Mom gave me her approval and I was able to get my dog Maxie from Bideawee. Once we started baking here in our facility, I knew I wanted to do something. Every month we donate over 30 pounds of biscuits to Bideawee. We have done that every month from the start. After they found out about my cookbook, they asked me to write a column for them, for their website. It is everything from a recipe to a helpful hint. I was actually asked by another company called Wrapped In Kindness. They sell treat totes & various other items to help families that cannot afford major surgery for their pets. We also support a lot of local organizations.

Tell me how I can order the biscuits.

You can order them online or you can look up the stores on our website, in your zipcode, that carry our products.
www.robbiedawg.com

More about the organizations Robbie Dawg supports:
www.bideawee.org
www.wrappedinkindness.com

To read Lisa’s column:
http://www.bideawee.org/programs_&_services/learning_centers/robbie_dawg.php