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  • | 11:00 a.m. September 29, 2017
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It's a human craze, so why not dogs, too?

That's the thinking behind a new line of dog treats dubbed Dogs Love Snapeas.

Since the snap pea snacks for people are so popular, says Dawn Ward, vice president and co-founder of Healthy Treats Inc., the company wanted in on the action. It's the latest expansion, in products, personnel and other areas, for the Naples-based company, which also sells Dogs Love Kale dog treats. Ward and Paula Savarese founded the business in 2014; Chris Miller was named CEO earlier this year.

“People recognize what's happening in the industry is humanization of dog treats,” Ward says. “People who have animals want to give them almost the same thing they're eating. When people see snap peas, it's like, 'Oh my God, I can give my dog snap peas, too.'”

The idea for the new snap pea products came from Ward and Savarese themselves. They were eating the snacks, and Ward says their dogs “went crazy for the crunch.”

Adds Ward: “It seems like anything that crunches, dogs just want to be a part of it. It just strikes their interest.”

After dogs tasted the snap peas, the duo soon started thinking, “Why don't we do snap peas for dogs?”

Dogs Love Snapeas products are sold everywhere Dogs Love Kale products are sold, some 3,000 retail locations and grocery chains nationwide, as well as in other countries, including Canada, the U.K., Australia and New Zealand. While she declines to disclose the company's revenues, she says it's growing consistently every year.

The new snap pea products also fared well at the Global Pet Expo in Orlando in March, Ward says. One of the Dogs Love Snapeas flavors, Peas and Himalayan Yak Cheese, is a favorite of hers. “Sometimes if you're at a trade show, you want to show it's good for you, it's good for dogs,” she says. So she starts munching on it. “It's a great way to sell a product.”

 

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