There is no ‘business like doggy biscuits business’ for Kyal Chamberlain. And Kyal can thank the family husky Apollo for helping to turn Doggy Delights into a business success story.
Kyal felt that Apollo, deserved some healthy home-made treats so after doing online research on recipes, his first batch of cookies was a huge success with Apollo choosing Kyal’s home made biscuit over a commercial variety, making Apollo ‘official taste tester’.
Kyal started his business when he was 16, through Ticket to Work, participating in the School to Work transition pilot in Western Australia through Rocky Bay Disability Service, funded by the NDIS.
Rocky Bay staff used a customised employment technique, tailoring the unique abilities of the person to match the needs of the business, or in Kyal’s case using his cooking skills to create his own business.
Customised Employment has four essential components; discovery, job search planning, job development and negotiation and post-employment support. During the ‘discovery’ phase, it was decided that Kyal preferred hands-on practical activities and was interested in combining cooking with his love for animals. A meticulous worker, he does everything to a high standard.
Rocky Bay approached a local dog friendly café to trial Kyal’s dog biscuits, which were a hit and soon other local cafes, dog groomers and dog daycare centres followed suit.
The business is very much a family affair with twin brother Benji looking after designs and branding. As Kyal has taken over the family kitchen, the family are in the process of building a kitchen in the back yard.
Kyal is currently making more than 2,000 biscuits a week, including hemp biscuits’ as well as ‘pup cakes’ and Doggy Breath Mints, all made by hand.
He said the best part about his job is making dogs and their owners happy. “I have autism and ADHD and cooking is relaxing and fun for me” he said.
And business remains strong even throughout Covid. To order go to his Facebook page: @kyal’sdoggydelights, Instagram: @Kyalsdoggydelights Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1Z8yDtorvE