I’m Emilia Quaggiotto, founder of 4Paws 1Pup. The idea for 4Paws 1Pup started when I was 15, with our newest addition, Maggie Sue, our Yorkie Poo.
Maggie Sue was my responsiblity and like all other pet owners, I only wanted the best for her. I had gone to the Pet Store wanting to purchase bones to keep her busy and treats for training. I noticed that many of the brands on the shelf were filled with “not so good ingredients” and to be honest with some ingredients, I didn’t even know what they were so I decided to start making my own treats for Maggie and our other 2 dogs, Ringo and Zorro. The treats seemed to be a big hit with our dogs.
Shortly after, I found out about a Summer Company program through the Windsor Essex Small Business Centre where I could receive a small grant to open up a business. In order to qualify for the program, I had to put together a business plan, pitch my idea, and go for an interview. Great news- they loved the idea, loved the organic treats prototype and soon enough 4Paws 1Pup was launched.
I started selling the treats at local vendor shows and received a lot of great feedback from my customers. Some asked for dehydrated treats as there fur friends were on a raw food diet. Others asked for treats for their feline friends so I started a line up of dehydrated cat treats.
Soon enough, The Hungry Pooch was interested in my products. I was so excited and I am very thankful to Alina Sherman, owner of The Hungry Pooch- Raw Feeding expert and my mentor. Alina was the driving force behind the expansion of our product line to include pet teas, pet supplements, mushroom powders and most importantly, the introduction of organic cricket protein to our treats.
I’ve always had a love for animals and I aspire to be a Vet one day. I am so excited to continue to scour the market for the best quality human grade ingredients for our products and share what I’ve learned with you along the way!
In your and your fur friend’s good health,
Emilia
