Export Navigator Enables Island Dog Treat Firm To Expand Across Canada
Samples of Skalliwags Dog Treats
COWICHAN VALLEY – Retired teacher Katie Wright has been making dogs on Vancouver Island happy with Island Skalliwags Artisan Dog Treats since 2017.
Thanks to the assistance of Export Navigator, the company is now reaching four-legged friends in markets across Canada, and Wright projects they will double their sales this coming year.
“The Export Navigator program, with support from export advisor Fabrizio Alberico, has led to success outside the province and the development of innovative sales channels,” Wright notes.
Owner Katie Wright shows off some of the ingredients in her Skalliwags Dog Treats
Export Navigator’s community-based advisors provide free support and ongoing guidance to help small and medium-sized businesses grow outside of BC. They offer export and business readiness assessments, market entry strategy support, market tools and information, and streamlined service connections to support services.
For the first three years of Skalliwags, Wright was the baker, recipe creator, shipper, receiver, marketer and everything else.
“I created the business and recipes so I could offer 100 percent canine appropriate treats to all dogs, even those with allergies or other health issues,” Wright recalls. “I started making them to support my dog’s health and to promote playful fun and training. And that is, and always will be, my motivation.
Wright worked with a veterinarian, took Canine Nutrition Specialist courses and refined her products until they were snacks she was proud to serve.
“I like people to know that the quality of the ingredients is extremely important,” she states, adding customers can turn the bag over to see what’s in the products, which is crucial to support a dog’s health. “I have always used restaurant-grade, premium meats and organic produce, all locally – when possible – and ethically sourced.”
The company motto is “Pure and Playful”.
Katie Wright hands out a tasty Skalliwags treat to a four-legged friend
“We keep it that way by never using gluten, artificial ingredients, or GMO’s, and protein is our number one ingredient,” she says. “Our meat is grass-fed too.
“I started making this to support my dog’s health and to promote playful fun and training and that is and always will be, my motivation,” she states.
Skalliwags’ most popular products are bison and kangaroo treats.
“We offer grass-fed bison liver, which is great for training, and bison bars, which is a treat similar to a granola bar,” she notes. “Our Kangaroo Krisps are a single ingredient novelty meat, which is sometimes the only treat a dog is allowed, due to allergies or other health concerns. “Our Kangaroo Krackers are simply irresistible,” she adds.
Customers have responded very well to the high quality of Skalliwags products, their emphasis on customer service, playful contests and their support of dog charities.
“My business has always been about dogs, and each owner who buys my treats is important to me, whether it’s one bag or a case,” she says. “My relationships with dog owners is one of the underlying reasons for my success and the reason I love what I do.
“Each one has led to my success,” Wright adds. “It’s amazing how the local community and now across Canada rallies around small, local businesses and creates a brand loyal ‘pack’.”
