We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kanak Bal a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Kanak, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

I started crafting single-protein dog treats with a very clear goal: to promote a better diet for all dogs, regardless of age or breed, so that our best friends can live their best lives for as long as possible. This soon extended to our feline friends as well, who often have limited options for healthy, protein-forward treats.

As a lifelong yogi and former restaurateur, I’ve always been obsessed with food and its impact on our health and happiness. After adopting my first rescue dog, Amelie, from Korean K9 Rescue, I started volunteering with them to help more dogs get adopted. I noticed the same gut-mental connection in animals through working in the rescue space and saw countless dogs (including my own three rescues) undergo incredible transformations due to the power of biologically-appropriate, nutritious food. Actual nutrient absorption helped them respond better to training and develop deep bonds with their adopters. The better the diet, the happier the dogs and their families.

Unfortunately, the prevalence of highly processed pet food in modern pet diets is contributing to high rates of obesity, organ dysfunctions, diseases, and cancers, all of which drastically cut down our pets’ lifespans. Obviously genetic, environmental factors play a role, but nutrition is the only one we as pet parents directly control. Humans have been making the switch towards fresher, minimally-processed options for themselves and it’s about time that we did the same for our beloved pets. The other aspect of my mission is to increase not just the longevity of pets’ lives, but also the quality. I want pets to not just survive, but to thrive!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Hi! I’m Kanak, a dog mom of (and nuts about) three Jindo-mix rescues, hence the name Jindonut Treatery in honor of the donut form they all take on when they’re napping!

How I started is a familiar story for many whose pets have digestive issues. Amelie came to us with mild stress-related GI problems, leading me straight down the rabbit hole of researching as much as I could about dog diets. I’m one of those people who feeds those around me as an expression of love, so what I feed them is of utmost importance. While Amelie was an easy case, Aria was a whole different story when we adopted her. The mama bear in me freaked out when she was barely eating and then eliminating in the form of blood. When we pinpointed her IBS and food allergies, I put my nutrition certification to use to formulate a better diet. She finally managed to gain some necessary weight, her fur grew out lustrously, and multiple people noticed how much her anxiety had decreased. I knew then that I had to share the knowledge so other pets could also experience their best lives.

Jindonut Treatery specializes in raw dehydrated single-protein pet treats, made with zero fillers or additives. Since treats make up a big and important part of a pet’s life, I wanted to offer pet parents fun and purposefully healthy options for their pets that can be used in any number of ways from training to meal toppers to supplementing a current diet. Each Jindonut Treatery product is made with a careful blend of gut-friendly herbs and superfoods that dogs and cats love, like our signature ChocLiv – our “chocolate” for pets (obviously no real chocolate involved)! Our treats also come in different textures so that pets of any age can find something to enjoy, even if they are dentally-challenged, from our chews to our collagen-rich bone broths.

This year I’m excited to develop a line of supplements to complement our healthy treats, as well as launch a customized pet nutrition program focused on the individual pet’s needs and designed to educate their owners on implementing and tracking a nutrition plan that meets their personal budget and lifestyle.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Right before the world shut down in March 2020, we had adopted our first rescue, Amelie, and I had transitioned from a decade-long career operating restaurants and managing people and processes to a director role at a food tech startup. By the fall of 2020, life still had not returned to pre-Covid days, we had moved out of NYC, and I was out of a job.

When the opportunity to manage Korean K9 Rescue’s adoption program arose, it hadn’t occurred to me before that I could merge my passion for dogs with purpose in the nonprofit space. I’d been so adamant on getting my life as I knew it back that I’d forgotten there is no going back, only forward.

Taking that leap of faith opened up my world and gave me a chance to learn so much about animals and their needs, and I’m still always learning. After overseeing 1200+ adoptions and seeing dogs thrive, I’m now a certified therapeutic pet nutritionist, and currently working on a second professional pet nutritionist certification focused on building balanced, fresh diets.

I recently took another leap of faith to primarily dedicate myself to scaling up my business so it can support employees and give back to the pet community – it won’t be an easy or short road, but I know now from experience that it will certainly be interesting and meaningful.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

To add to the previous question, Jindonut Treatery was a long time in the making. I unintentionally became the purveyor of dog treats on NYC’s Upper West Side due to Amelie’s ability to attract many doggy friends, all of whom adored the special healthy treats I made for her and shared with them. The idea for better dog treats stayed with me after we’d moved to Westchester and I began the tedious process of starting a business and creating a brand. By the time I was ready to soft launch, fate had other plans and we moved to Ohio to be closer to my in-laws.

It’s very tempting when faced with circumstantial setbacks to give up on an idea or venture and I considered hitting pause permanently. Apart from feeling isolated from my community back in NY, I was working remotely and struggling to connect with the suburbs, the harsh winters, and the general not-New York-ness of the Northeast Ohio area. I was again faced with the choice of staying stuck, or moving forward unconventionally.

Last year, I impulsively applied for a spot at the local farmers’ market, not expecting a response. I got in. I applied to bigger vendors’ markets and got in. There was no going back once I’d publicly committed myself to judgement by fire from the Cleveland community, and I’m happy to say I was rewarded with a great response and sold out completely on three separate occasions! I met wonderful people, got to explore different neighborhoods, and get more in tune with what makes Cleveland special. By the end of 2024 I did over 30 market days in 6 months across the city, as well as set up a small retail space, which was an invaluable learning experience as I plan to expand the retail presence for my business this year and introduce Jindonut Treatery to a wider regional audience in-person and online.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://jindonut.com/
• Instagram: @jindonut.treatery
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Jindonut-Treatery/61561177992177/?_rdr