We founded Barkwheats in late 2007 with the inspiration of our two black lab mixes, Baxter & Sabine, their nutritional needs and the desire to support small-scale agriculture in our home state of Maine. 

We wanted a wholesome dog biscuit that actually helped treat some common problems that dog parents deal with, like bad breath, gas, anxiety, and more serious illnesses, like cancers.  We were committed to producing a grain-free biscuit because that’s the way dogs are meant to eat, so we chose buckwheat since it is easily grown in Maine.  We chose other ingredients that were easily produced in Maine and had great nutritional value, such as parsley, sea vegetable, chamomile, eggs & honey.   

In order to support small-scale agriculture in Maine, we started purchasing ingredients directly from neighboring farmers.  We put a lot of stock in knowing where each ingredient comes from and who is responsible for producing it.  We were inspired to create a ginger biscuit since it helped to alleviate car anxiety in our dog, Sabine, but since ginger cannot be grown in Maine, we began working with a small group of farmers in Belize to grow it for Barkwheats.  We visited Belize in April 2009, so that we could also shake hands with our ginger farmers like we can with our local Maine farmers!

Our biscuits are one step away from the soil in which the ingredients were grown, giving you the peace of mind in knowing your dog's safety is thought of every step of the way.

We really appreciate your business and thank you for visiting!

At Barkwheats, we are proud to use organic buckwheat - a berry, not a grain - that will not aggravate or cause wheat-allergies in your dog.  Since buckwheat is not a grain, it is safe for dogs with gluten-intolerance.

Grains first appeared in pet foods about 70 years ago when consumers wanted the convenience of pet food in a bag and manufacturers wanted to reduce costs by using inexpensive fillers. Although grains such as wheat provide low-cost calories, dogs did not evolve to digest grains.  Veterinarians are increasingly citing grains  as primary causes of health problems common in dogs, such as allergies, skin/coat problems, obesity, diabetes, kidney stones, and behavior issues.  In addition, the majority of pet food recalls over the past 10 years have been due to contaminated grain products: glutens, corn, wheat & rice.

Despite the fundamental purpose of pet food to provide nourishment, the “grain” approach to pet nutrition is still widely practiced due to the lower cost, ready availability and long shelf life they provide. Unfortunately, your dog can suffer as a result of this.

When you treat your dog to Barkwheats, though, you can know you are feeding a healthy biscuit from a company that values a natural, grain-free diet.

 

Our packaging is a 100% recycled box and a biodegradable bag made of wood pulp, both of which should be thrown in your home compost or woodstove when finished.

Why Compost?  Every time you throw away a banana peel, carrot peels, or any food scraps, you're throwing away a precious resource! Things like kitchen scraps, newspaper, paper egg cartons, cereal boxes, garden clippings and the like can be turned into a natural soil amendment we call compost. Since our box is made of 100% recycled paperboard and printed with vegetable based inks, you can toss this right into your compost bin.  The inner bag of Barkwheats is made from the cellulose of sustainably harvested cottonwood trees. The cellophane is the NatureFlex™ line from Innovia Films.  It will break down in 4-6 months, adding nice brown matter to your compost, helping achieve that perfect mix of brown to green matter. 

To learn more about the film that we use and how, as of January 2008 it is now carbon neutral in its production, read this Life Cycle Assessment press release from Innovia Films. 

Barkwheats are as healthy for the earth as they are for your dog!

Barkwheats is committed to supporting organic agriculture through the creation of our biscuits.  Organic agriculture promotes a healthy ecology by keeping chemicals out of the soil, preventing soil erosion and maintaining a diverse landscape.  While lots of biscuit makers focus on organic ingredients, few take the time, resources and money to involve local farmers in the creation of their product. More than 95% of the ingredients in Barkwheats come from neighboring farms. Our biscuits are one step away from the fields in which the ingredients were grown.  

We are unable to purchase ginger locally, so we teamed up with Sustainable Harvest International in Surry, Maine, to began sourcing our ginger directly from their group of farmers in southern Belize. We are looking forward to the Fair Trade Certification label we will earn in the summer of 2009, as a trusted, independent verification of this process. Barkwheats will be the very first Fair Trade Certified pet treat on the market. 

In addition to the choices we make to produce an environmentally-friendly product with compostable packaging, we are also proud to use energy from the Mars Hill Wind Farm, select 100% recycled paper for our print projects, and use the most energy efficient equipment we can to run our facility. These are all simple choices that go a long way to creating a sustainable environment.