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

Erika, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

I started my dog and horse cookie business for the simplest reason, a local dog cookie and supply company, where I had worked many years ago, was closing, which would create a gap in the market. I love the idea of making locally made cookies for pets using high quality, human grade ingredients, without common allergens, but are also fun for the humans to give to their pets. While dog cookie companies are relatively common, there are fewer options for horse cookies and I knew I needed to offer something that my horse (and others) could also benefit from.

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?

I learned about the demand for decorated dog cookies while I was in graduate school for Experimental Psychology. In grad school, I fostered then adopted a retired racing Greyhound named Red. My graduate school funding came with a clause where I was able to work outside the university with approval from my graduate mentor. I asked him and he told me he had no reason to say no, but would highly recommend against it. Working at a local dog supply store was not going to help my CV. While it wasn’t going to help my CV, it was extra income and a discount on dog food. I started working at the Bluegrass Barkery on weekends and Red would come with me. Over time he became a feature, sleeping by the register on weekends, taking up as much space as possible, and growing into a great dog. One of the draws of the Bluegrass Barkery was that they baked dog cookies in one of their locations, decorated them, and sold them in a bakery case. People loved these cookies for their dogs.

I developed an interest in baking when my mom taught me how to bake at a very young age. We would have “pie baking day” where my mom and I were joined by one of her sisters and her daughter on the day before Thanksgiving when we would bake pies. My mom’s mom died before I was born and this always felt like a way for us to feel a connection with the grandma I never knew. My mom and I would also bake cookies regularly, whether it was making sugar cookies and inviting cousins over to have a cookie decorating day, or just the two of us in the kitchen. Our regular cookie baking continued until I lost my mom in 2016 unexpectedly.

To get back to the business, when I realized there would be a gap in the market, I worked to develop the recipes that I use in the business. My primary recipe is peanut butter, oats, and honey, which also serves as the base for my pumpkin and molasses recipes. The molasses recipe was developed after I offered a peanut butter cookie to my horse, Ryman, and he promptly threw it back at me. I decorate the cookies using a yogurt style icing and make designs related to holidays, special events (like birthdays), and random shapes. While there are treats available in many larger pet stores, the dogs, horses, and their humans love that they can meet their baker, learn about the ingredients, and know that the cookie hasn’t been sitting on a shelf for an unknown amount of time. I also love to personalize cookies, like adding the pet’s name, the specific special occasion, or their favorite colors. I also donate “adopted” cookies to the Lexington Humane Society, in addition to being a sponsor, and it is great to see pictures of dogs enjoying a special cookie with their new families.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

To grow my business and clientele, I’ve worked hard to be visible at events and in local stores. I attend a ridiculous number of vendor events, but without a brick and mortar store joining the Lexington Farmers Market has been a game changer for my business. I now have regular customers who come weekly to get cookies for their pets. The Farmers Market gave me a consistent location and I have been scheduling custom order pick ups at the market to continue to build an awareness of where to find my products.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I am not social media savvy in my personal life, but when I started selling cookies to a local store wholesale they sent their social media manager to get content for their socials. I took a risk and reached out to their social media manager to ask about pricing. I wasn’t able to afford regular social media management, but was able to have her create a social media plan for me, which included a roadmap to follow. Using that plan and paying for several content days each year I’ve been able to create a social media presence. Working with other local businesses and non-profits have been incredibly successful in helping grow my social media reach, which has led to orders from individuals who happened upon my content.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://houndandhorsebakery.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/houndandhorsebakery/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Hound-and-Horse-Bakery-100089609976595/

Image Credits

Three Redheads and a Moose (personal photo)
Raid Media Management (photos 1, 7, 8)
Sara Sipes (photo 3)