This week Al is in Kingston, Ontario to meet Laurie Hannah, the owner of Lakeside Dog Biscuits. 20 years ago, Laurie’s Golden retriever became ill from eating commercial dog food, so Laurie set out to create natural, healthy treats for her pets and thus created Lakeside Dog Biscuits Today Laurie is retired from her career as a social worker and running her dog biscuit business full time. But how has the pandemic and high inflation affected her business? Listen to find out.
Lakeside Dog Biscuits
This week Al is in Kingston, Ontario to meet Laurie Hannah, the owner of Lakeside Dog Biscuits.
20 years ago, Laurie’s Golden retriever became ill from eating commercial dog food, so Laurie set out to create natural, healthy treats for her pets and thus created Lakeside Dog Biscuits
Today Laurie is retired from her career as a social worker and running her dog biscuit business full time. But how has the pandemic and high inflation affected her business?
Listen to find out.
You can learn more about Lakeside Dog Biscuits at lakesidedogbiscuits.com.
Al Grego:
Hello everyone. I'm Al Grego, and this is the Yes, We Are Open podcast.
Kingston, Ontario, about halfway between Toronto and Montreal along Highway 401. Its nickname is Limestone City on account of the many heritage buildings constructed using local limestone. The history of Kingston, I promise I'll make it quick, it was established in 1673 as Fort Cataraqui military fort and French trading post. The fort was later renamed Fort Frontenac, and the city to Kingston after the British took possession in 1760. Kingston spent a few short years as Canada's capital from 1841 to 1844, and it's the hometown of Canada's first Prime Minister, John A. McDonald.
Now from history to economics. With a population of just over 170,000, Kingston is Canada's 24th largest city. It's a regional center for education and healthcare, home of two major universities, Queens University and the Royal Military College of Canada, and St. Lawrence College, a large vocational college. Kingston is also home to three major hospitals. As such, Kingston's economy relies heavily on public sector institutions and establishments.
And finally, art. Kingston seems to be a desirable location for artists of all disciplines, likely due to its proximity to major cities like Toronto, Montreal, yet relative lower cost of living. The list of writers, actors, and musicians that were born in or currently reside in Kingston is long and distinguished. But since I'm a musician, I would be remiss if I did not at least mention that Kingston is the birthplace of Brian Adams, David Usher, the Headstones, Steppenwolf front man, John Kay, and many, many others. But of course, most notably, it's the home of Canadian rock legends The Tragically Hip. Lesson over, kind of.
I'm currently walking along Ontario Street past Confederation Park in front of City Hall. I turned up Market Street towards Springer Market Square. It's a Thursday, so that means the Kingston Public Market is open. This market was established in 1801 and is the oldest market in Ontario. Now history's over.
As I walk around and take in some of the vendors selling farm fresh produce, baked goods, artisan jewelry, maple syrup, and so much more, I'm temporarily distracted by delicious looking peach crumble from one of the vendors.
Are they locally grown?
William:
The peaches are from Niagara.
Al Grego:
Niagara?
William:
Niagara. That's as local as I can get them.
Al Grego:
That's William. I'll speak with him a little later. Once I prime myself in the baked goods, I make my way to the booth I was looking for, and the subject of this week's episode, Lakeside Dog Biscuits.
How's it going?
Laurie Hannah:
Good morning. How are you?
Al Grego:
I'm well, how are you?
Laurie Hannah:
Nice to meet you in person.
Al Grego:
Yes, you too. Finally.
That's Laurie. Thank you. After greetings are exchanged and she shows me her products, we settle in at her booth for her interview.
Laurie Hannah:
Hi, my name is Laurie Hannah. I am the owner of Lakeside Dog Biscuits in Kingston, Ontario. Lakeside started 20 years ago as Laurie's Natural Dog Treats. In my home in Sydenham, I had a dog that became very ill from commercial food. With my veterinarians help I did some research and found out exactly what was in commercial dog foods and dog treats, and started looking for recipes that would be a healthier alternative that I can produce, knowing what's in them. I was working in child protection, I'm a social worker, and it ended up working all week. And then I would do markets on the weekend because more people were wanting my dog treats and people were asking me, "Can you take these to market?" So after, after dealing with other people's problems all day, it was actually my way to unwind and let go of everything that I was dealing with during the day. And then on weekends, I would take them to the markets.
I will say it was very challenging. Carting a one-year-old to markets in a little car seat when she was sleeping, it was great, but she got to a point where she'd be off running around and me trying to sell products and trying to chase the little one. And I wasn't the only mom in that situation. The small farmer's market that I started at, the woman that organized it had a fairly large beef farm, and she had three littles with her most of the time. So it ended up that all her children ended up that you would find them sitting underneath one of the tables from one of us coloring, playing with Barbies, some Lego, something that was keeping them busy, and we would kind of take turns where one mom would be keeping an eye on them while the others were busy.
The very first product I created was a beef dog biscuit, I believe it had cheddar cheese in it. And the recipes adapted from a 1986 edition of Harrowsmith Magazine. It called for beef bullion. It called for garlic powder. It called for a lot of things that I would not put in my dog treat. So I changed it up and I used meat from local farms and made the bullion from scratch with no salt. And then the cheddar cheese was also a local cheese, and people really liked the idea that I was using products from local farms and local producers and that it was clean, it was healthy, and it just went from there.
Now, instead of making a beef stock, for example, I dehydrate the meat myself. So once I buy it from the farm, I dehydrate it, once dehydrated and cleaned, I grind it into a powder and add it to my dry ingredients. So there is actual dehydrated meat throughout the biscuits that the dogs can actually taste and smell. I do have a product that I only offer here at the market on Saturdays, and we call it buffaroni because I use the Ontario water buffalo. And so I mix that with flaxseed, molasses, oats, then I put it through my jerky gun and dehydrate it. So it's like a little pepperoni, but it's made with the Ontario water buffalo, which is a lower protein than beef and a lower fat content in general.
We have two dogs, Angus and Maggie. Maggie is an Irish setter. Angus is a golden, they're more than happy. Most of the time Maggie will come right downstairs to where I prepare everything in the bakery, and she's wanting, just drop something, mom, just drop something. So yes, they test them all. I also have family members that have dogs and my neighbors. So my neighbor's dogs sit at the fence line when they come outside and wait for me to toss biscuits over the fence to them every day. And here I have the opportunity of seeing which ones the dogs enjoy most because I always have free samples here on my table. And I have dogs that will drag their owners across the street just for their free treats.
No, it took a while. And my biggest hurdle at that point in time was trying to figure out how to keep them from molding. They would be okay for the most part, for probably a week or so. But now I can guarantee my products for six months.
Al Grego:
Oh.
Laurie Hannah:
The combination of dehydrating the meat, and I use a natural preservative. And the packaging, my packaging is biodegradable. It has a one-way valve, so that can squeeze the air out, which keeps the treats moist and fresh longer. Lots of little things that I've had to learn over the years.
Hi.
Speaker 6:
Hi.
Laurie Hannah:
How are you?
Speaker 6:
Good, how are you?
Al Grego:
I'm surprised it took this long, but our interview was finally interrupted by a very eager four-legged customer.
Speaker 6:
Are you dancing?
Al Grego:
That looked like a pretty happy customer.
Laurie Hannah:
Yep. I get that a lot.
Al Grego:
Yes.
Laurie Hannah:
I keep saying I have the cutest customers at the market.
Al Grego:
I'll admit, Laurie's customers are really cute. They're also super honest with their feedback. After all, you can't misinterpret a wagging tail. Imagine how much easier other businesses would be if the customers were that transparent. Imagine the time and money you'd save on market research.
Laurie Hannah:
I have a base of five that I have. I have venison with blueberries, buffalo with cranberries, buffalo with cheddar, beef with carrot, and peanut butter and oat. I do have limited edition products that I will bring out this time of year in particular. I can get my pie pumpkin locally.
Al Grego:
Okay.
Laurie Hannah:
I will not use canned pumpkin. So when I can get the pumpkins, I will make a pumpkin spice dog tree. I also do-
Al Grego:
For all the hipster dogs.
Laurie Hannah:
Yes. Well, it's more for the dog moms, I think than, pumpkin is really good for dogs, very, very good for dogs. But it's more, oh, it's pumpkin spice season.
Al Grego:
Yeah. Yeah.
Laurie Hannah:
I'm going to buy some for my dog. And then I also do one that is beef liver with spinach. And then sometimes I'll spice that up a little bit and add feta cheese, and then it becomes the Greek and just fun stuff. And I also do gingerbread cookies with natural icing. And the icing is basically yogurt, tapioca, and a little bit of coconut oil and meringue powder. So it's also all natural and good for the dogs. My packaging is all biodegradable. I don't use plastic bags. I use paper labels so that they're also biodegradable. The bags that I use have a one-way valve and a zip seal, so you can zip it up, closed and then squeeze the air out and it's not going to get back in. And that way the treats stay soft, stay fresh, and do not go bad very quickly.
Al Grego:
Up next, Laurie Hannah has been making high quality healthy dog biscuits for the last 20 years. But what happens when the dog shows and markets shut down indefinitely? How will she get her biscuits to her canine customers? Stay tuned to find out.
You're listening to Yes, We Are Open. Retired social worker, Laurie Hannah turned her need for a better alternative dog food for her sick dog into a part-time home business. Over the next 20 years. She grew that business going to markets and dog shows on weekends, improving her product and its shelf life, developing new recipes and getting it into local stores. But what happens when the pandemic hits and those dog shows and markets are forced to stop? Will Laurie be able to get her product to her customers? We'll find out next.
Start asking for the time or something that happened that put your business in jeopardy, threatened to shut you down. Can you think of one?
Laurie Hannah:
COVID was very difficult financially and emotionally, actually. I was very close to giving up many times.
There was no public space that I could come in contact with my customers. The stores that carried my products, and there are, I think 11 of them, they were not open. And so even places like groomers, dog groomers, that carried my products in their shop, their customers were dropping their dogs off at the door and they were taking the dogs in and doing the grooming and then bringing them back to the door to their owners. So there was no exposure whatsoever. And the fact that I work from home producing the products that I make denied me access to any of the government supports that were available. And I still support my 20-year-old daughter, has some challenges of her own, and I still provide financial support for her. So it made it very, very difficult. And buying ingredients and getting the things I needed in order to produce the product for those that were still ordering. It was really difficult. And then-
Al Grego:
So you were relying mostly on online sales [inaudible 00:14:56]?
Laurie Hannah:
Yes. Yes. And I messed that up quite nicely.
Previously had my website done professionally and I went in to try to make some changes to add products and change some of the photos and kind of update it. I made such a mess. I just had to shut the whole thing down. So it's back up and running and not great, but functional at the moment. A lot of phone calls, a lot of customers who had previously purchased from spaces here, I was doing local deliveries for free and offering curbside pickup. So that got me through. But I got to a place emotionally where I felt like the work was not worth the struggle, and I was very tempted to sell it all.
I'm glad I didn't because now I'm in a much better mindset. I think that the isolation, also, I'm a very social person, so the isolation of having to be at home by myself and not being around my family or my friends, and that also took a toll.
Al Grego:
So when things started getting back to where you at least get back to the markets again, how did you feel?
Laurie Hannah:
It was exciting and I was a little nervous because the market itself had become very different and the atmosphere was very different. People were still very cautious. Although the population of Kingston had become more aware of supporting local, and we were very, very lucky that we suddenly had a lot of people in the area that we didn't normally see who specifically said, "I was not really aware that this was available here. And I'm glad I found it because I really want to support local." And that's been very good and that has continued where we have a lot of regular folks that are coming down here buying their vegetables from the vegetable farmers that are producing these things on their own, and that's how they make their living is running these farms. So it's very good.
Al Grego:
For you personally, do you feel like your mood changed kind of at the beginning?
Laurie Hannah:
Yes, yes. I became more optimistic. I felt less like a hermit, if that's a good phrase. But it does help your mood and it helps your outlook when you are exposed to other people. These people are basically my coworkers. They are all running their own small businesses and they're all doing the same thing that I'm doing. And they've all been through the same COVID experience that I've been through. I also get a lot of help from my neighbor, William. He has been in business, like in business for more than 20 years, selling jams and jellies and baked goods. And he has the most amazing business sense. And he gives me advice, always asks first, "May I make a suggestion?" He's very polite about it. But he has given me some really helpful information in terms of my business and how I might do things differently so that I'm reaching more people or making things better.
Al Grego:
Can I get your name and just the name of your company?
William Henderson:
Yeah. It's William Henderson and it's from Henderson Farms Will Farm.
Speaker 7:
William, how long have you been Laurie's neighbor here at the market?
William Henderson:
This year, last year, and she was here a while back.
Al Grego:
Okay.
William Henderson:
Five Years ago, roughly. Yeah. Okay.
Al Grego:
You've gotten to know each other pretty well?
William Henderson:
You could say that. Yeah.
Al Grego:
You're almost like coworkers
William Henderson:
Almost.
Al Grego:
Yeah?
William Henderson:
Yeah. She has a natural touch with dogs.
Al Grego:
Yeah. Laurie gives you a lot of credit for giving your unsolicited business advice.
William Henderson:
Good or bad. If it's free you know what it's worth.
Al Grego:
When these markets kind of stopped because of the pandemic, how did you deal with that?
William Henderson:
Well, first off, this one didn't stop. Oh, it didn't. We had to go to City Hall and have them reopen because we provide food. It's considered an essential service.
Al Grego:
Okay.
William Henderson:
But we had to reapply to the city and have the city reorient their views in terms of how they were doing it. They did shut us down, but we managed to get it back open again. It was a whole new way of doing business because all the clients had to register first, then walk from one end of the market to register, then walk all the way back down to where I was then walk all the way back out because it was one way in and one way out.
Al Grego:
Oh.
William Henderson:
So it was very-
Al Grego:
Very restrictive.
William Henderson:
Very different and restrictive. Correct.
Al Grego:
That was your son.
William Henderson:
Surprisingly, this has been probably one of the worst years we've had.
Al Grego:
Yeah?
William Henderson:
Sales are down, I would say a minimum 20%.
Al Grego:
Wow.
William Henderson:
And the bizarre thing is through the pandemic, our sales were steady, so people were buying local and people were staying home. What I feel is happening is that people that have been staying home for two years have decided to go away on the weekends and go to the cottage, go to wherever, visit friends. So it's really hurt our immediate sales. It'll bounce back.
Speaker 4:
I will tell you that my Moneris machine is a godsend. I have been to so many events last winter and last summer where we would be out in the country and other people who are using other products were not getting any service. We're having to wander around with the machines in the air trying to find some connection. I have never, ever had an issue with service, even up in Frontenac County where there is a large, it's granite, so it's very, very difficult in a lot of spots to get cell service. I always have service for my machine, always.
Al Grego:
Coming up after the break, we found out what the future holds for Lakeside Dog Biscuits.
Mat Belanger:
At Moneris, we empower merchants to keep doing business their way while we handle the payment processing our way. What way would that be? The safe way, the always connected way, the awesome integrated tools to help you make more money way. We know your business never stops, so you deserve products that never stop working. That's why we are committed to providing our merchants with a payment partner that works just as hard as they do to make every sale. Moneris, proud partner of small Canadian business.
Al Grego:
Welcome back to Yes, We Are Open. Laurie Hannah is happy to be back, face-to-face with her customers, wet noses and all, and she's more determined than ever to take Lakeside Dog Biscuits to the next level. So what are her plans for the future? Let's find out.
What does the future look like for Lakeside?
Laurie Hannah:
I actually have a meeting on Monday with one of the local economic development corporations to discuss different ways that I can expand and diversify without it being a huge change or huge pivot so that I can help myself with the recovery from the last three years.
I retired early at 55, so I expect to be running my business for the next 15 years at least. And so I need to be doing something different so that it is more sustainable. I don't know if you heard me explaining to that last customer about the spent grains. Skeleton Park Brewery here in Kingston, they provide me with spent grains. So the first stage of making beer is they make a tea with the grains. They use the liquid and the grains themselves are waste. Most of the time farmers get them and they feed them to their livestock. I take them and I add them to my dry ingredients. They add vitamins and antioxidants to my biscuits. And Skeleton Park has custom dog biscuits with their logo on them that they sell in their tap room and also sell online. So it's a different avenue of where the products are available through someone else's marketing, through someone else's business. And yet I'm using their products to produce.
Al Grego:
You basically applied white labeling to your business, which is kind of fun.
Laurie Hannah:
I've been approached by a very large company that does monthly shipping of dog food that they produce. Their head office is in Calgary, and they have asked me to do small packages of white label products that they would purchase from me and include in their monthly shipments of dog food.
Al Grego:
Well, that's exciting.
Laurie Hannah:
I declined.
Al Grego:
Why?
Laurie Hannah:
Because of the white label.
Al Grego:
Oh. You want your name on it.
Laurie Hannah:
I do want my name on it. I've worked very hard to develop this product and 20 years is a long time. I want people to know that the quality that they're receiving is from me.
Al Grego:
Was there any room there for negotiation? Put their name first and then put By Lakeside underneath or something?
Laurie Hannah:
No, they wanted nothing whatsoever on the packaging except for basic information of venison and blueberry and the ingredients in the product and nothing more. Part of my issue was that they were talking about ordering between two and $5,000 worth of small packaged dog treats. So yes, I have a 20 quart mixer and yes, I have a dough sheeter and the steel tables and the commercial dehydrator and all of the things that I need to produce the products the way I am. I would have to hire someone to step in and help me produce on a regular basis in order to be able to supply.
Al Grego:
You have the physical capacity, but maybe not the personnel?
Laurie Hannah:
Yes. Yes. But man, I thought that would be so much fun.
Al Grego:
That had to have been the most difficult no you've ever had to give.
Laurie Hannah:
It was very difficult because I wanted to do it so badly, but I also didn't want to say yes and then not be able to provide them with what they were asking.
Al Grego:
In the meantime, it's just more dog shows and more markets for you?
Laurie Hannah:
Yes, and I do ship all over Canada. I have customers in Sooke, BC. I have customers, many customers in Toronto. I have many customers in Ottawa, western Ontario. I have customers in Montreal, Quebec City. I'm more than happy to do the shipping to get the product out there, and my customers do a large amount of promotion for me. I have more people contact me and say, "Oh, hey, so-and-so told me to give you a call because they love your products and their dogs love your products and they're happy with your customer service." And so it's those things that tell me that I'm doing something right.
It feels sometimes overwhelming and sometimes really, really good. I grew up being a rebel. I was the first girl to make try out for my high school football team in 1979. I graduated from Queens University in 1999 without my high school diploma. I am very well known for doing things that people say, no, nobody can do that. And so for me to have built this business from a situation that was heartbreaking in my home because my dog was extremely ill, and to be able to provide something that is healthy and tastes good to the dogs and is at a good price point for the dog owner, I'm very proud of it. I'm very happy to be able to do what I do. And like I said, I have the cutest customers in the market and they tell me, the dogs, even if I am going into the gas station, if there's dogs outside, they quite often will stop and smell me like they can smell the dog treats because I've been baking all day and that feels good.
Al Grego:
Thank you [inaudible 00:28:17].
Laurie Hannah:
Thank you. It was very nice to spend time with you, Alan.
Al Grego:
Laurie, is Lakeside Dog Biscuits open?
Laurie Hannah:
Yes, We Are Open.
Al Grego:
That's the story of Lakeside Dog Biscuits. A career in social work is stressful and often thankless. It's your job to help others deal with their problems. I applaud those that choose that line of work. I certainly couldn't do it, and I can't begin to imagine how emotionally exhausting it must get. Even though her business was born out of necessity, Laurie Hannah could not have picked a better suited business for her retirement. No longer will she have to worry about the issues and problems of human clients. No. She's traded that in for a more grateful, unconditionally loving client. A client incapable of hiding their appreciation of a job well done, a belly well rubbed, or a yummy biscuit well baked. Someone named Ben Williams once said, "There's no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face." I'm sure Laurie would agree. I also think that the resilience Laurie must have shown during her career as a social worker probably served her well in her business, especially during the last couple of years.
Laurie admits to bending but never breaking during that time. Therein lies the resilience. But there is one important not so secret ingredient in Lakeside Dog Biscuits that I haven't mentioned yet. American singer-songwriter Kinky Friedman is quoted as saying," Money can buy you a fine dog, but only love can make him wag his tail." That may be true, but I've seen a lot of wagging tails today. So does that mean that to dogs, Lakeside Dog Biscuits equal love. Makes sense to me considering all the love Lori pours into her business, a business with a bright future, a business that has truly gone to the dogs. I'm done now, I promise.
Yes, We Are Open is a Moneris Podcast production. I'd like to thank Laurie and William for taking the time to share their story. You can learn more about Lakeside Dog biscuits at lakesidedogbiscuits.com. You can also follow them on Facebook and Instagram at Lakeside Dog Biscuits. More information about this podcast visit our site, yesweareopenpodcast.com. If you'd like to support us, rate us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you're a Canadian small business owner or know of one with an interesting story of perseverance to tell, I'd love to help tell it. You can contact me at podcast@moneris.com. Tune in next week for another story of small business struggle and survival on the Yes, We Are Open podcast. I'm Al Grego. Thank you for listening.