Today we’d like to introduce you to Whitney and Brendan Johnson. Them and their team share their story with us below:
We are so excited to introduce ourselves to the community! The Johnson family had been regular customers of “Pineywoods Pet Bakery” since its founding in 2017, so when Lindsay Gregory, the previous owner, needed someone to take it over, we knew we couldn’t pass up this opportunity! “Purple Thread Bandanas” started as a little side hobby during time off because of COVID. After taking over the pet bakery in October of 2021, we decided to combine both businesses under one name, “Pineywoods Pets”! My husband and I have been married since May 2016. Whitney Johnson grew up in the Tyler, Texas area and Brendan Johnson, moved here in 2015. We have fostered and volunteered for the SPCA of East Texas for several years now, so we love animals! We have four dogs; Jet, Spruce, Bella, and Tyke, and two cats; Moonshine and Lunabelle. As the new owners of Pineywoods Pets we have revamped the packaging and even created a website, for people to purchase our treats. Right now, we make all of the treats in our home kitchen in Tyler. Our big goal is to eventually open a storefront.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has been a pretty smooth road, but learning the ins and outs of owning a small business have been fun. You don’t really realize what all goes into it until you are doing it on your own. Since taking over the business in 2021, we have expanded it a little bit and have some of our treats for sale in other local small businesses. Keeping up with inventory is one of our biggest challenges as my husband and I also work other full-time jobs.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Pineywoods Pets is a small business offering a variety of all-natural dog treats and handmade pet accessories, such as bandannas. We have 3 flavors of treats right now: Cheddar Bacon, Brew Biscuits, and Pumpkin Peanut Butter. All of our treats come in 5oz bags and our Cheddar Bacon and Brew Biscuits come in 3 sizes: mini, regular, and large. Cheddar, bacon, and apple is a classic flavor combo sure to make your pet happy all year long. Made with all-natural ingredients: whole wheat flour, milk, apples, cheddar cheese, egg, butter, olive oil, bacon, and parsley. One of our most popular choices is the Brew Biscuit, made with spent grains from ETX Brewing Co., and peanut butter these treats are a crunchy, healthy treat for your furry friend. Made with natural ingredients: spent barley (from ETX Brewing), whole wheat flour, peanut butter, egg. We offer a grain-free option in our Pumpkin Peanut Butter treats. These treats come in cute semi-soft paw print shapes. Made from: coconut flour, egg, pumpkin puree, peanut butter, and coconut oil. We pride ourselves in making healthy all-natural dog treats free of preservatives and dyes. Holidays are some of our favorite time to get creative with the treats. During Christmas we offer jumbo bones iced and personalized with your dog’s name. For Valentine’s Day, we love to make fun heart-shaped treats. Our family has volunteered with the SPCA of East Texas for several years. One of our biggest things we like to do is give back to them. For every bag of treats sold at our local “Pints & Pups” events we donate $1 to the SPCA of East Texas.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
At Pineywoods Pets we love to support, collaborate and work with local small businesses in our area. We have some of our treats at “The Rancher’s Market’ in Tyler and now are working with two different coffee businesses, Crema Coffee Co. and Good Boy Coffee Co., to provide dog treats to their “furry customers”. As a growing business we love to get the word out about our treats and products, so we really hope to extend our reach as far as possible!
Contact Info:
- Email: pineywoodspets@gmail.com
- Website: https://www.pineywoodspets.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pineywoodspets
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pineywoodspet
Image Credits
Alexpressions Photography
