Teresa Sadler of Tree-Bites has spent all of her career until last summer working with children and adults with additional support needs, a job which she absolutely loved. Due to a shoulder injury, she decided that she needed to take a step back and pursue a different passion. This is when the idea of starting up her own business came to her:
“As living a sustainable, compassionate life is so important to me, I decided to focus on setting up a vegan dog treats business.
We have two wonderful rescue dogs at home, Luna and Alonso – in case you didn’t get it from their names, they are Spanish street dogs. They have been thriving on their vegan diet for many years; Luna still bounds like a puppy although she is nearly 8 years old! They have a fully balanced plant-based diet, there are many brands that sell complete vegan dog food online. However, I found it trickier to get tasty vegan dog treats. The ones I could find were either very expensive, coming from abroad (not a very sustainable option) or had wheat and soya. Luna is a vibrant dog, but she is sensitive to wheat, due to her little white paws and ears. I researched which vegetables and fruit were the most beneficial to include in a canine diet, then went on to experiment with my own dog biscuit recipe.
Luna and Alonso were very willing volunteers, as I perfected the recipe. The final dough is made primarily of sweet potato and Bramley apple, with non-wheat flour. The biscuits are called Tree Bites, which I decided on for a couple of reasons – all of my friends and family call me Tree, rather than Teresa, and the name also evokes the notion of a plant-based recipe.
Now, less than 6 months after having the inclination to set up a business, I have designed my own labels and logo, become a Chamber of Commerce member, obtained business insurance, set up a website – tree-bites.co.uk and an Etsy shop. Additionally, two local shops have started stocking my biscuits. The Pump House Environment Centre in Gheluvelt Park, which specialises in sustainable products, and Be The Change Vegan Cafe in The Corn Market.
I have created marketing postcards, which I have begun distributing, advertising the fact that I deliver free to the homes of people within Worcester City. I know that there is a lot of hard work ahead; but living in a country full of devoted dog owners and in a time when more and more people are aware of our responsibility to live more sustainably, this seems like the right time to embrace this new challenge!”
