NORTH RIVER – A North River dog food manufacturer is getting set to introduce a new line of treats and supplements following a recent expansion and upgrade.
"We're launching a complete line of treats and supplements," said Karen Campbell, who owns and operates Totally Raw Dogfood on the Old Truro Road, along with partner Doug Malloy.
As with its other products, the new line will be completely natural, with no fillers or preservatives, she said.
"And that's what been really consistent about our business, always using natural products rather than relying on chemical preservatives and that sort of thing."
The business, which has been operating for almost 10 years, recently received a $114,000 loan from ACOA, which was used as part of an overall investment totaling $229,000 to upgrade and expand the operation.
"What we did was convert our out-building into a fully functioning shop with industrial equipment," Campbell said."
"It's made quite a significant difference. Like, for example, a big part of our sales is patties, so it looks a lot like hamburger patties. The new piece of equipment we have, it can do 60 patties a minute," she said. "So the equipment has taken us from being able to produce 10,000 lbs. a week, to about 9,000 lbs. a day."
The company, which has also started a distributorship in New Brunswick, is hoping to set up a retail operation in Halifax within the next year.
