Coastal K-9 Bakery builds a thriving business focused on homemade all-natural and organic treats.
By Devon McPhee

Owner Jackie Oakes, left, and Kelly Florkiewicz, sales assistant, greet Coastal K-9 Bakery customers.

The secret of success for Jackie Oakes, owner of Coastal K-9 Bakery in Wilmington, N.C., was in not knowing she could fail.

“Some people say ignorance is bliss,” says Oakes. “I started my business because I didn’t know I couldn’t.”

More than serendipity had a hand in the good fortune of Oakes’ pet boutique and organic dog treats bakery, a runner-up for Pet Product News International’s 2008-2009 Retailer of the Year award. Oakes spent hours in the library and online researching canine health and nutrition, and many more hours in her kitchen developing all-natural recipes for her dog treats.

“I am completely self-taught,” Oakes explains.

Oakes’ entree into treat baking directly resulted from owning a dog with food allergies. Since she did not know what caused her pet’s allergies, Oakes decided to begin eliminating common allergy-causing foods from the dog’s diet until her pet no longer seemed to have a reaction to its food. She started by eliminating grains and, when she couldn’t find a treat that was wheat free, decided to what she wanted herself.

Coastal K-9’s treats are natural, nutritious and come in myriad flavors and shapes.

For the treat, Oakes began with a basic sugar cookie recipe and took out everything that wasn’t nutritious, which left eggs and flour, she says. Oakes then studied existing treat recipes and the ingredients on treat packages before experimenting with different combinations and measurements of flours, spices and other ingredients. Soon, she had her own treat recipe—a nutritious one that did not seem to trigger allergic reactions.

The treats were also a hit with the pets of family and friends, Oakes says. With this encouragement, when Oakes found herself between jobs, she decided to take a chance and open the bakery.

A Healthy Beginning

AT A GLANCE

Coastal K-9 Bakery Location: 5905 Carolina Beach Road, Wilmington, N.C. Owner: Jackie Oakes Size: 500 square feet Employees: One (part time) Years in Business: Four Products and Services Offered: Organic and natural treats and food for dogs. Toys and accessories for dogs and cats. Gift items for dogs, cats and people. Holistic medicine and spa sections. Bakery produces all-natural treats for dogs.

Now, four years later, the bakery is thriving. Coastal K-9 offers eight flavors of treats—apple oatmeal, peanut butter, pumpkin cinnamon, Parmesan cheese, salmon, “bark”-b-cue ribs, chicken and rice, and gluten-free honey ginger carrot sticks—as well as other goodies such as liver brownies, muffins, pumpkin pies, “yapple” strudel and cakes.

Oakes also developed popular point-of-purchase items for her shop, such as her ready-made “Yappy Barkday” bones—a colorfully decorated peanut butter-flavored bone dipped in sugar-free yogurt. The bone evolved from a need for a quick alternative to custom-ordered birthday cakes, Oakes explains. If time allows, she will customize the bones with a name or phrase for customers.

All the treats contain all-natural, organic ingredients. This makes them more healthful than the average treat, Oakes says.

“People aren’t aware of the ingredients in their pets’ food and how bad some of them can be for their dogs,” she states.

According to Oakes, the treats also address most canine food-related allergies and illnesses.

In addition to the bakery items, the store stocks toys, accessories, gift, and spa items for dogs and cats, as well as holistic medicine for dogs and a selection of gift items for people.

Preparing for the Worst Hurricane Katrina was a wake-up call to many animal lovers, including Jackie Oakes, owner of Coastal K-9 Bakery in Wilmington, N.C. “We’re sitting right on the coast and get lots of hurricanes, but nothing the size of Katrina,” she explains. After watching news reports of animal rescuers in New Orleans, Oakes reports she and a friend decided to get involved. “The groups were overwhelmed because there were more animals than they ever imagined,” she says. “My friend and I wanted to do something, so we contacted the rescue organizations to see how we could help.” The rescue groups said they needed crates, food and medical supplies. Oakes and her friend started a collection and secured $5,000 worth of items. However, they didn’t stop there. The pair co-founded a nonprofit organization, Saving Animals During Disasters (SADD), to help ensure that when the next major hurricane hits their area, local animal rescue groups will have an emergency vehicle at hand to assist in rescues. To reach this goal, SADD raised $15,000 to purchase and outfit a mobile rescue unit. “We know there is going to come a time when our area is going to need this,” Oakes says. Luckily, that time is yet to come and the vehicle is waiting its first rescue mission. The group is “set and ready to go,” though, if the need should arise, Oakes adds. In the meantime, SADD lends the van to local adoption agencies and other animal groups in need of a large vehicle.

Oakes also has distribution agreements for her treats with several regional Whole Foods locations, a local organic grocery chain and a local market.

Good Rate of Growth
In the next year or two, Oakes hopes to expand into a larger area. She is collaborating with two local women who own a pet-sitting business and is exploring the possibility of opening an upscale boutique, spa, day care and boarding facility for dogs.

The women met when Oakes used the pet-sitting service. They started talking shop and discovered a mutual interest in expansion.
“We were all thinking of expanding and said, ‘Why don’t we pool our resources and do this together,’” Oakes says.

Once the expansion is complete, Oakes may consider looking into additional distributors for her treats, including other national grocery chains.

With an expansion and the possibility of more vendors on the horizon, Oakes says she’s constantly surprised at how far her business idea has taken her.

“I had no expectations when I opened,” she adds. “I was thinking I’d just have a cute little shop that would help make ends meet and would pay for itself. That it has grown at such a good rate and has positive feedback is just amazing to me.” <HOME>