Flowerhorn Brewery’s eco-friendly canine treats will be made from grains that would otherwise be thrown away
A local brewery is expanding their business by creating an unlikely new product – dog biscuits.
Flowerhorn Brewery, based in Fairwater, is putting the final touches to its pale ale biscuit, which is made using the leftover grains from the brewing process.
Co-founder Andrew Traynor said the expansion is something he and colleague Arran McHugh had wanted to do since they set up the brewery in 2019, after stumbling across a recipe.
Last year, they baked a batch of biscuits just for fun, and they were a hit with their four-legged customers.
“We gave the biscuits out to dogs who were visiting the taproom and received great feedback,” Traynor said. “This gave us the motivation we needed to move forward with the idea.”
It comes as a report, published after November’s COP27 by accountancy firm PwC and the World Economic Forum, outlined three critical actions that businesses should take to adapt to climate change.
One of these actions is to “capitalise on opportunities” that “contribute to efficiency, sustainability and climate change mitigation”.
The team are looking to be environmentally conscious in every aspect of the product
Flowerhorn Bakery aims to achieve this through their new revenue stream, allowing them to grow both the brewery and the bakery with little environmental impact, with hopes to sell the product nationally.
But Traynor, 29, said the team are looking to be environmentally conscious in every aspect of the product, not just the leftover grains.
“Our packaging is all recyclable,” he said. “The tins are aluminium, the labels are made of paper instead of plastic, the wholesale bags are compostable, and the biscuits are vegan.
“This project will help make the Flowerhorn brand more sustainable.”
The team have finalised the recipe, designed the packaging and even converted a shipping container into a commercial bakery. The Flowerhorn Dog Bakery hopes to launch just before Christmas.
Traynor said, “We are extremely motivated to get this product out to dogs across the UK.”