Zeb’s Barky Bites located in Centre Market is your spot to get homemade dog and cat treats.  The idea for the business came from 10-year-old Zeb’s own dogs.  “Our dogs have sensitive stomachs and other treats well…. Did not agree with them.”  So, they started making their own treats.  Zeb then asked his parents if they could sell their treats so other dogs could have them too.

They began by going to different farmer’s markets to sell their dog treats.  Shortly after having some success they participated in Wheeling Heritage’s Show of Hands and won.  They took their winnings and opened up shop in the North Market House of Centre Market.

The process of making the treats is picking what ingredients to put in them, developing recipes, actually making them, getting them legalized, packaging them, and then selling them. They sell a variety of flavors from blueberry to your typical bacon.  They also offer some treats for cats.  This process is overseen by the West Virginia Department of Agriculture.  The WV Dept. of Agriculture also invited Zeb’s Barky Bites to sell their treats at the State Fair this August in Lewisburg.

In the next five years Zeb has ambitious plans for the business.  He would like to sell his treats at store all over such as Kroger, Walmart, and Petco.  When this happens he still wants to maintain the Centre Market location for the local clientele.

Advice he would give to another entrepreneur is to just go for it and do not get lost in all the planning.  Sure, there is planning in opening a business but you can’t get lost in it.  You just go to go for it and take a leap sometimes.  If you need to keep planning and planning then you’ll never be ready.

They market through their Facebook page which can be found here, https://www.facebook.com/Zebsbarkybites/