From dairy to Dog-O’s | Pet Food Processing

This article was published in the November 2025 issue of Pet Food Processing. Read it and other articles from this issue in our November digital edition. 

A passion to help keep their family farm and creamery thriving led sisters Amy and Beth Marcoot to create an unexpected product line. What began with the production of cheese and ice cream for people evolved into Marcoot Jersey Creamery’s dairy-based dog treat product line — Dog-O’s.

Dating back to 1840, Marcoot Jersey Creamery in Greenville, Ill., has a rich history of providing dairy products to its community. Run by the Marcoot sisters, the seventh-generation farmers decided to continue the family tradition and build upon the farm they grew up with. The sisters followed their family’s suggestion to move on from the farm after high school and build their own careers; however, in 2007, when questions began to arise about what was next for the farm and if the family should sell it, they decided to return and build upon the legacy.

“It really didn’t sit well with us, letting that legacy go,” said Beth Marcoot. “So, with a lot of thinking, a lot of planning, a lot of, ‘What do we do?’ we decided to add more value to our cow’s milk rather than shipping it to a processor.”

With the decision to produce milk products such as cheese and ice cream on the farm, the sisters opened the creamery in 2010. The first project was to make cheese with milk from their Jersey cows, the same breed they’ve had since 1840. The grass-fed cows are known for producing high-butterfat and high-protein milk.

 

From farm to pet

In 2018, following the advice of their uncle Dale, who helped them start the creamery, the sisters began to look into potential ways to expand the business.

“He would always say, ‘Amy, you have to have more than one leg to stand on,’” Amy Marcoot explained. “What he was saying is you have to diversify your channels and consider different options.”

When looking for different possibilities to expand their offerings, they found inspiration in Amy’s dog, Tiny, and her love for cheese. Additionally, they took note of their customers who were requesting whey for their elderly dogs as a source of protein and other nutrients.

Thus began the creamery’s entrance into the pet nutrition industry with its Dog-O’s brand and the inspiration for its Ice Ice Doggy whey protein treats and Cheesy Chompers® hard cheese treats.

The brand offers all-natural, human-grade dog treats sourced and manufactured entirely on the farm. In addition to the Ice Ice Doggy and Cheesy Chompers® treats, Dog-O’s also offers Fresh Cheese Bites for a soft cheese treat option and Ice Cream for Dogs.

Cheesy Chompers® are made with 100% natural cheese from Jersey cow’s milk — that’s it. The cheese chews are a source of protein, calcium, vitamin A, essential fatty acids, and B-complex vitamins rolled into a simple, tasty treat for pups. Shaped like a donut with a hole in the middle, the treats are designed to keep dogs safe in cases of choking.

“A lot of people said, ‘Why didn’t you just do a strip and that would have been easier?’” Amy said. “It would have saved a lot of time and money to just do a strip. But when we were asking folks about it, they were really concerned about the nub at the end — that would be a choking hazard for dogs.

“We did that really intentionally,” she added. “So, if a dog would ever swallow it, they could still breathe.”

Ice Ice Doggy ー made with whey, crushed fruit and whey isolate for a source of protein ー was created upon customer requests for a treat option for pancreatic dogs and dogs recovering from surgery that would be a low-fat source of protein. Additionally, the brand’s human-grade Ice Cream for Dogs served as a response to requests from pet parents for ice cream treat options for their pups.

“We didn’t mean to fall into frozen, but that is absolutely our biggest category that we’re in,” Amy said.

Despite challenges in entering a new industry and developing marketing for an entirely new brand, the sisters cite a positive experience in the transition.

“From our experience it’s been a very friendly industry,” Amy said. “Our story is unique, so people have been really drawn to it.”

 

Prioritizing community

Helping people and pet owners find solutions has always driven Marcoot Creamery in their new product creations.

“We always want to be trying to solve a problem for people, and now their pets,” Beth shared.

The creamery focuses on making products that can be eaten by all people and pets, even those with the most sensitive stomachs or bodies.

“My mom is a retired public health inspector and a dietician, and she would always say, ‘You need to make food safe enough for people in nursing homes to eat or cancer patients to eat,’ — people with compromised immunity,” Amy explained. “So, we’re making it the same way, whether it’s for a dog or a person.”

For example, Marcoot Creamery’s Extreme Ice product is available to patients who need more protein.

“There are 20 grams of protein per 5 oz, and it tastes good,” Beth explained. “And now we get to use that for Ice Ice Doggy for dogs that need it too.”

Community is at the forefront of Marcoot Creamery’s mission. The company frequently works with nonprofits and hires people directly from their community to work on the farm.

“It is very important for us that we can give them good jobs with livable wages and be a good, active member in our community,” Amy said.

The company also prioritizes education — about their business, about farming, and now about the pet industry.

“We are very passionate about educating people and giving them the opportunity to be in the industry or just to know where their food is coming from for them and their pet,” Beth said.

Amy added, “Being woman-owned, we also work with the Girl Scout troops a lot. We want to show them that there are other things that women can do.”

 

Continuing to build

Maintaining a sustainable business for the future remains a top priority for these sisters and provides ample opportunity for a potential eighth-generation of the Marcoot family farmers.

Despite adding new equipment this year to increase ice cream scooping production from 6,000 cups a day to 18,000, the Marcoots found the process still too manual. Now plans are underway to get more equipment to increase output to up to 50,000 cups a day. The sisters are always considering options for the next phase of the business.

“I think our desire to keep innovating, learning, growing and listening to what our customers are saying, that’s always going to be part of who we are and our success,” Beth said. “We just constantly have a drive to make things better and to keep innovating. We’re going to take what we have and make something that’s good and nutritious for humans and pets.”

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