Scottie Paws
Company background:
Scottie Paws is a pet accessories business founded by Jenna Mitchell which specialises in collars, bow ties and leads. Jenna set up her Scottie Paws business during the pandemic and as popularity grew the business was shortlisted for the Independent Pet Shop category at the NI Pet Awards. The business currently has a shop based in Strabane and hopes to grow into Derry and the surrounding areas as well as online within the next year.
Challenge:
The company wanted to develop a range of high-end dog treats in order to grow and innovate the business.
Solution:
To assist with the development of their concept, Scottie Paws were supported by North West Regional College (NWRC) Business Support Centre (BSC) through the InnovateUs programme which is funded by the Department for the Economy.
NWRC Product Development Technical Consultant, Rita O’Kane, provided 60 hours of upskilling support in recipe development and standardisation, ingredient and packaging sourcing, pet food labelling for non-animal origin products, production method and processing methods for pet food manufacture including HACCP for upscale to ensure a smooth route to market.
Impact:
On completion of the project the company was able to develop a range of high-end dog treats which were recently launched at the Foyle Maritime Festival.
Jenna Mitchell, Owner of Scottie Paws described the benefits of working with NWRC’s Business Support Centre via the InnovateUs Programme:
”The support I received from NWRC Foodovation was fantastic. Rita guided me through the process from concept to launch. I couldn’t recommend them enough and would urge anyone with an idea to speak with them. It’s been a really enjoyable journey and I am delighted that we achieved the goal to launch at this years Foyle Maritime Festival. The initial response to the product has been brilliant.”
