A Stewarton schoolgirl's dog-deli business is proving to ulti-mutt snack sensation for lockdown pooches.
Ayrshire Dog Deli serves up natural, handmade, dog treats nationwide and in Europe and was founded by 10-year-old Evie Steel while stuck in lockdown with her then three-month-old puppy Dexter.
Entrepreneur Evie started off baking her own dog treats for her little pup from recipes she found in magazines while bored during the pandemic.
After seeing Dexter wolf down the peanut butter treats, Evie decided to market them to other pooches — selling them from a sun tent at the top of her driveway with a contactless payment system.
Throughout 2020, Evie used the success of the business to gift her profits to a range of worthy causes including Stewarton Woodlands Action Trust, NHS charities, Social Bite and Ayrshire (East) Foodbank.
Even after returning to school in August, Evie juggled her school work and baking requests and launched festive-themed treats.
The selfless youngster spent a full week of her Christmas holiday baking and hand-delivering hundreds of dog treats in time for Christmas.
After a few social media posts highlighting the brand's success; Gilmartin's Bakery, The Deli at One, and The Sugar Cube — all based in Stewarton — approached Evie to stock her dog biscuits.
A thrilled Evie held socially distanced meetings showcasing her creations. All of the businesses were hugely supportive, waiving any margin for sales, and even involving Evie in choosing where to display the products.
Evie is proud her family business is taking off.
She said: “We’ve all worked really hard as a family to create Ayrshire Dog Deli. We’ve developed new recipes – including carrot cake, blueberry muffin, and apple and cinnamon crumble – taste testing them to refine the flavours, which is Dexter’s favourite part, developing new packaging, and creating a website which launched this month.
"Deliveries are already flying out the door, with orders from across the UK and treats even shipped to Ireland and France in the first week.”
The selfless youngster is also giving back by supporting Give a Dog a Bone – a charity with a base in Troon that helps the over 60s to afford a rescue pet companion – tackling loneliness in ageing years and the rising number of animals experiencing homelessness.
Evie added: “Our business was born during lockdown, a time when we have all been apart from family. I have six great grandparents and I know how lonely they’ve been at times, so we couldn't think of a better charity to support than one that brings together dogs and those suffering from loneliness.
"So every time you treat your dog by buying our handmade deli treats, you are helping too. A donation of 5p from every bag sold will be made to Give a Dog a Bone to help them with their amazing work bringing dogs and lonely people together.”
For more information on the Ayrshire Dog Deli visit: https://ayrshiredogdeli.com or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ayrshiredogdeli
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