Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexis Quiroga.
Alexis, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I started my dog bakery business during my time in culinary school. I have always loved dogs and enjoy baking so I decided to combine both passions. I learned how to bake by going to school and getting an internship at a pie bakery.
I did months of research on dogs’ health and diet. Since there is not a lot of info on starting a dog bakery or schooling for it I learned a lot along the way in starting this business. One thing that was always clear to me was wanting to produce products that were all natural and nutritious for dogs.
There are lots of fillers, preservatives, and cheap ingredients in dog treats and I wanted to provide a healthy alternative to them. I also wanted to make fun treats for dogs nothing boring that you see in stores like chicken recipe biscuits. We have flavors like Texas B-B-Q and Bacon Breakfast. We also carry Empawnadas and other fun pastries. We started at farmers’ markets and grew to the point where we were able to open a commercial bakery and boutique. My brother, mom, and sister now work with me in the business.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It is always a struggle when you don’t have starting capital to start a business. You have to spend money to make money and since I was a college student I really had to work my way up to owning a commercial bakery. Also as we all know the pandemic was a hard time for most small businesses we were no exception.
We are very thankful for our customer’s support in keeping us open. Especially since we weren’t able to sell at events which was always a significant source of income for us. We have recovered, but even now is a struggle with inflation and other factors that have affected the economy recently
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I specialize in baking but for doggies. What sets me apart from other dog bakeries is the fact that we formulate our own pastries and biscuits. I love making the doggie version of people’s food for them to enjoy too. We make conchas during fiesta and our own version of chicken on a stick.
Pumpkin pies for dogs in the fall of course are always popular. I just hate baking pastries or cookies that are ugly or boring. I always try to make sure the presentation of the pastries is aesthetically pleasing.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I don’t really consider myself lucky or unlucky I have worked hard to get to where the business is currently at. the only thing I can really say is the pandemic really was a big setback in our growth but that affected everyone, and if anything I am lucky to have survived it.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.pawsweetbakery.com
- Instagram: @pawsweetbakery
- Facebook: PawsitivelySweetBakery
