‘Superfood’ dog treats gives Carmarthenshire dogs a healthy choice with Biscuit’s Barkery

AMANDA Leanne Thomas the Entrepreneur of Biscuits Barkery and owner of Biscuit, the delightful French Bulldog, met up with Llanelli News Online to discuss her exciting new business selling ‘superfood’ dog treats.

Amanda, a graduate in nutrition from the University of Surrey, left her career as an air hostess behind after meeting her now-husband Barry, relocating to Wales to start her newly married life.

At this time Barry and Amanda also got a new addition to their family. They bought an adorable French Bulldog who they named ‘Biscuit’.

Amanda, a massive dog lover, wanted to ensure that their new puppy had the best start in life. Armed with her extensive knowledge in ‘nutrition’ she set out looking for treats that were healthy and nutritious whilst still being appealing to dogs’ taste buds. 

There were many pet snacks that Amanda come across but unfortunately, she found that many of those available contained some ingredients she considered unsuitable such as preservatives, cereals, and additives. 

It was proving a difficult task for Amanda to find anything which matched the ‘nutrition’ and ‘taste’ level she hoped for. 

With this ‘gap in the market’ and the desire to provide Biscuit with a healthy diet, she was motivated to start creating her very own ‘superfood dog treats’ containing ingredients that had health benefits for dogs.

Amanda said: “Biscuit loved what I was baking for him, It was so nice that I could give him something healthy and nutritious.

 “Knowing the ingredients were so good for him and seeing his coat becoming shinier was very encouraging.

“He wasn’t itching his skin anymore and even his teeth looked whiter from the strawberry which can help whiten dogs teeth.”

Amanda was happy to see the improvement in the health of Biscuit and enjoyed producing the treats for him. It was then that she thought of branching out and selling the treats.

With support from her tutors at Coleg Sir Gar, where she was a student at the time, she entered the Beacon Bursary Business 2018 competition. The winner would receive business support and a grant of £5,000 to facilitate her setting up ‘Biscuits Barkery’.

She said: “I was armed with a lot of passion and personal motivation. I believed these treats really served a purpose for improving the health of dogs generally.

“I hadn’t heard of the awards until the supportive staff at Coleg Sir Gar brought it to my attention.

“I thought it would be wonderful if I could win it but never expected to”.

To Amanda’s great surprise, fondly named ‘Biscuit’s Barkery,’ scooped the top prize. The funding and support gave her all the essential tools she needed to launch her dream. The dream that started in her kitchen when she was trying to help Biscuit’s health was deservingly awarded a blossoming opportunity.

Biscuit’s Barkery, although still in its first year is going from strength to strength with Amanda dedicating a great deal of her time and effort into making it a success. 

Not happy, however, with only helping dogs with health benefits in the snacks she produces she also insists on making a contribution to the community. 

She said: “Any leftover products I make which are not sold are donated to dog rescues in Carmarthenshire to those dogs who haven’t had the best experiences in life I want to share some kindness and care”.