We all love to spoil our horses, no matter if we are buying them a new halter or treats. When purchasing a bag of treats for your horse, you may consider how many ingredients are on the label. You don't want ingredients in your horse's treats that you cannot pronounce or are familiar with what it is. Let me introduce you to a small business based in Kentucky that is known for having horse treats with only a few ingredients. Zero Proof Horse Treats were inspired by Melanie Walton. In 2021, Melanie decided to start her own business that was a combination of her passion for horses and cocktails.
I asked Melanie a few questions about her business, Zero Proof Horse Treats.
Q: When did you start your small business and what inspired you to start Zero Proof Horse Treats?
A: "After being laid off from my job during COVID, I decided to start my small business in 2021. When starting a business, you need to pair something that you like. I have a passion for horses, but I also enjoy a good cocktail. So, I thought to myself, why not just combine the two and create a cocktail based horse treat?"
Q: Can you tell us a bit about how your treats are made and what flavors are available?
A: "When creating Zero Proof Horse Treats, I wanted limited ingredients, stuff that I could pronounce, and no chemicals. We're in Kentucky, this is the horse capital of the world, and we have all the best feed manufacturers here. Our treats have only 5 ingredients- oats, alfalfa, distiller's grains, and molasses to bind.
For each flavor, the other ingredient is- mint for the Mint Julep flavor, orange and cherry for the Classic Old Fashioned flavor, and apple for the Apple Martini flavor. What I really like about our horse treats is that every single ingredient is manufactured and grown right here in Kentucky. So you are supporting the local feed mill and local farmers when purchasing Zero Proof Horse Treats."
Q: Not only do you offer treats for horses, but you have dog treats also. Do you hope to expand your brand in the future to have more treats available for other animals?
A: Yes, I do hope to expand the line and create treats for other animals. I hope to eventually add a line of cat treats in the future. I'd also like to venture into human types of things. My goal is to add a new product line every year."
Q: What advice would you give to someone that hopes to start their own business in creating horse treats?
A: "I would say just do it and take a chance. There are so many good horse treats out there, when you go to any tack store, you see a lot of the pre-made cookies and they are great ideas. Every time I see something, I'm like "why didn't I think of that? That's genius." Something like a horse treat, it's like us, you don't eat the same meal every single day. Your horse doesn't like the same treat every single day. Just go for it, people go through them, it's just a commodity that people are going to go through."
To learn more or shop for Zero Proof Horse Treats, head to www.zeroproofhorsetreats.com.
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