MEET THE MAKERS: Yarmouth woman making delicious, healthy dog treats

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Jacqui Sedore’s vision is simple: to create wholesome, delicious dog treats using only natural ingredients that your dog will love.

And the woman from Pinkneys Point in Yarmouth County, N.S., is doing just that.

For little over a year, Sedore has been creating handcrafted dog products, like gourmet dog cookies, dog-safe chocolates made with carob, a natural moisturizing healing salve with calendula oil, and high-protein yogurt macaroons through her business, Sedorable, which she explains is an adorable play on words with her last name.

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To ensure the highest quality product, Sedorable mills their own oat flour and makes their own pumpkin purée, allowing them to craft treats free from additives and preservatives. Every treat is infused with bee pollen, known to support digestion, reduce inflammation, and boost your dog’s immune system, because, as Sedore says, they believe that healthy can be delicious.

How did she get started?

Creating Sedorable was not something Sedore she set out to do. After not being able to find healthy dog treats that were delicious for her own dogs, however, she decided to make them herself.

Soon, word got around that other dogs really loved her cookies, too, and after receiving so much positive feedback, Sedore saw the potential and decided to grow it as a business.

Next, they became members of the Yarmouth Farmers’ community market, giving them a home to sell their products every Saturday and to build relationships with great people in the community. And as members, they believe in supporting local. That’s why their flavours reflect the seasons with ingredients sourced right from the region.

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“We catch our own mackerel in Pinkneys Point, pick apples from our own trees, and partner with trusted local producers like Wood’s for blueberries and Riverview Farms for cranberries,” explains Sedore.

They developed a turkey dinner cookie for Thanksgiving consisting of turkey, carrot, cranberry and sage, and carried it through the holidays as it has become popular with dogs.

Sedore comes from a farm-to-table background, so a lot of the reason she chooses the ingredients she does comes from working in a winery and high-end restaurant that had its own farm, she explains.

Finding testers is never an issue, says Sedore, noting how they have four dogs.

They also make custom batches for their customers, and this has given them an opportunity to experience and experiment with new flavour combinations.

Sedore says their most popular product is the mackerel and pumpkin gourmet dog cookies. They are made with wholesome and simple ingredients.

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“Our dogs love them, too, and they’re pretty popular,” she says.

Research and learning process

To learn how to make their dog products, Sedore says it took a lot of research looking into products and their ingredients and being mindful of the benefits or side effects while wanting to be as natural and simple as possible in their approach to crafting great recipes for delicious dog treats.

There is, however, also a learning experience in the process of making the product, then refining how it’s made to improve its quality, appearance, shelf life, or production time, she says.

All of this work was fine for Sedore, as she says she’s always been a creative person and she’s always been drawn to different types of art and their expression. A large part of her life, she says, has been her love of music and whether she is crafting, cooking, or playing and enjoying music.

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“I’ve always felt comfortable with the creative process,” says Sedore.

Sedorable always has lots of happy customers.

For example, during the summer, visitors from all over come to Yarmouth on vacation — sometimes with their dogs, sometimes without. Sedore says she loves knowing their treats have travelled home with them.

One of their favourite sights, however, is a loyal customer who visits the market every Saturday with his dog.

“While he shops, his dog patiently waits outside, knowing a delicious cookie is coming its way,” says Sedore.

In the future, Sedore says they will be launching a website to offer their products online.

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There are also some new products in the works: they’ve developed a healing salve made with calendula, shea butter, coconut oil, and beeswax to help soothe dry paws and noses and brought a carob treat — a dog-safe chocolate alternative — to market in the form of a carob and peanut butter cup and a blueberry and carob bar. They’ve also added a high-protein yogurt macaroon treat with either purple sweet potatoes or spirulina to their line-up as well.

Anyone wishing to make a purchase from Sedorable can find them at the Yarmouth Farmers’ Community Market every Saturday. During the week, products are available at Dogwood Lodge Pet Resort. They can also be found on Facebook.

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