Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ben Ramirez Reed. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Ben, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with the decision of whether to donate a percentage of sales to an organization or cause – we’d love to hear the backstory of how you thought through this.

It’s important for business to give back and support communities and initiatives, whether that’s local, national, or global. I knew from the beginning that when I started my own business giving back in some way was going to be core to the business. I spent awhile searching around for the right charities and organizations to donate to, and made some donations. But I wasn’t sure if I could trust the charities to do what they said they would, or that the money was going to the right place. So I joined One Percent For The Planet. Hopefully you’re already familiar with the organization, but if you’re not it goes something like this: a business signs up with One Percent for the Planet and agrees to donate 1% of their revenue to a charity already vetted by One Percent for the Planet. Since my business, Oak & Berry, makes eco-friendly dog supplies, it seemed a no-brainer to choose a charity focusing on both the wildlife and canines. So I settled on Wolf Conservation Center, down near NYC, local to me. To me, it seems like bringing everything full circle. Oak & Berry makes leather-alternative dog supplies, to reduce animal-based products and deforestation. So while you get to buy a quality dog leash and/or collar for your fur-babies at home, you also help to protect their wild cousins out there.

Ben, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Many of us grew up with a furry friend, whether they were a dog or cat, or even a horse or bird. You could probably pull up a memory right now of running around outside with your fur-buddy panting at your heels, or sitting on the couch with them purring on your lap. For me, I grew up on a family dairy farm that my father ran and I worked in the doggie daycare that my mother ran attached to the house. Animals were everywhere. From dogs in the daycare, to barn cats. My horses in the field out back, to the dairy cows in the barn. I began working in the dog daycare at a young age and stayed there as manager for 18 years. Those years taught me a lot about dogs, my fellow dog people, and how to run a business in the dog world. So when I left the daycare it seemed natural that I would stay in the dog industry. I began by making dog collars, leashes, and harnesses out of leather and selling them on Etsy. But I can tell you, there are a few problems with leather. Imagine you just bought a new leather collar and you want to go for a hike. Your pup runs off, as they do, but this time they come back soaking wet. They probably went swimming somewhere. But the new leather collar is saturated. So you dry it out. And then the leather begins to crack from drying. Or the leather dye begins to rub into you pup’s coat and that cute white patch on their chest starts to turn a murky black/brown. I’ve heard all of these things happen and more with leather. So I began to look for a new material to work with. I didn’t like nylon because it’s environmentally damaging and after you use it for a long time on a dog, frankly, it can begin to stink. Then I was introduced to Pinatex, a leather-alternative made from upcycled pineapple leaves. Ananas Anam, the company that designed and makes Pinatex, took left over pineapple leaves from the canning industry, think Dole, and used the fibers to create a strong, sustainable, animal-free leather alternative. Pinatex looks, feels, and ages like the finest leather. I get a lot of people who hold it and say, “this is one of your leather collars, right? Or is this a Pinatex collar. It’s not. Is it?” The quality, durability, and sustainability made me fall in love with Pinatex. So I took it back to the dog world that I know so well and created Oak & Berry. Oak & Berry’s aim is to provide dog owners with stylish, sustainable dog collars and leashes that will last their pup’s lifetime.

We’d really appreciate if you could talk to us about how you figured out the manufacturing process./

Every item Oak & Berry produces gets sewn and assembled in my small workshop nestled in the woods of Upstate NY. I like having direct control over the process. The reason is two-fold: first, I like to ensure quality. To many things made these days are single-use, throw away items. I didn’t want that for Oak & Berry collars and leashes. I wanted an item that ages well and gets better with time. Combine quality snaps and thread with Pinatex and you have a leash (or collar) that gets softer with use and ages like the finest leather. Second, too many manufacturing processes focus o the final product without caring about who’s making the product and how. I wanted a system that appreciates the people making the dog collars and leashes (we call ourselves “Canine Tailors”). And a system that was more environmentally friendly, so we recycle everything we can, we reduce single use plastics, and all of our shipping materials are almost 100% post-consumer recycled paper materials. It’s a continuing work in progress, but I feel that we’ve begun to create a manufacturing system that makes great items, cares for the people that are a part of it (from beginning to end), and tries to work in (not against) the surrounding environment.

Do you sell on your site, or do you use a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc?

Since Oak & Berry uses primarily the leather alternative textile, Pinatex, for the dog collars and leashes, I decided to first sell on the eCommerce platform Etsy. I like Etsy because it supports small businesses, most of which are woman or minority owned. People, like me, who are shopping on Etsy tend to appreciate unique and/or handmade items, such as Oak & Berry’s dog supplies. And Etsy has a fantastic search algorithm that allows you to find pretty much anything you’re looking for, no matter how unique or niche it is. On the other hand, like any eCommerce platform, they do take a hefty chunk of every sale as a commission, which makes my income margins tighter. And each listing only allows 10 photos and 1 fifteen second video without sound to show off your item, so you have to make them count. However if you believe in your product and/or business, especially if it’s unique, handmade, or both, I recommend Etsy over most other platforms. I’ve found the people buying on there to be quite friendly and supportive. And I’m proud to count myself amongst so many other unique and excellent shops and shop owners.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.oaknberry.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oaknberry/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OakNBerry/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyTPu-av1FXjXH3PdGR_A4w

Image Credits
KNG Photography, Arizona