Meet the Maker is a blog series on The Dapple featuring Q&As with small businesses, creatives, and makers who are crafting unique products for dogs and dog lovers.
I’m so excited to share this week’s Meet the Maker interview with all of you.
Last year while hunting around for some Favorite Things Friday picks, I stumbled upon Bazzy’s Kefir and was immediately in love with their pastel branding and health-conscious pup products. Since then, Bazzy’s has become a staple in our house and I think I’m almost as obsessed with it as our pups are.
I chatted with Ayako Lopez and Yumiko Nakagami, the power-house sister-team behind the brand about launching their business in the midst of a pandemic and what exactly kefir really is—read the full interview below. 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻
Explain for our readers what you make.
We make healthy frozen Kefir dog treats and pet accessories.
What led you to create Bazzy’s Kefir?
We were inspired to launch Bazzy’s Kefir after Yumiko gave Bazzy coconut kefir to treat his skin irritations—the results were amazing!
Explain for our readers what kefir is.
Kefir is a super-powered probiotic with a whole host of friendly bacteria and yeast—it has science-based health benefits like skin and allergy support. Plus, it’s great for improving gut health.
Use DAPPLE20 for 20% off your Bazzy’s order.
I know it’s really complicated creating and shipping a perishable frozen product to customers—especially as a small business! What does that process look like for you guys?
It’s very time sensitive! We have to make sure to package it in insulated packaging with enough dry ice to keep the kefir frozen until our customers receive it. And we always use expedited shipping, which is very expensive.
Lizzie with Bazzy’s Kefir
It’s such an unprecedented time to run a small business. What are the biggest challenges you’ve faced this year and how have you handled them?
We didn’t have a chance to promote our products to different stores due to restrictions. But that gave us time to regroup and think of other ways to expand our brand beyond kefir. The pandemic made it challenging, but we are launching our first non-food item very soon!
What's your favorite item you sell right now?
Our Blueberry Peanut Butter flavor frozen coconut kefir is always a favorite—it’s our bestselling item.
What's the most rewarding part of your work?
We love seeing pups enjoying our treats and hearing about how it’s benefited their health. It makes all the hard work worthwhile.
What are you most excited about for Bazzy’s in the coming year?
We have more products in the pipeline coming in the near future. We’ve been working hard on the new items and we’re really excited about them, so we can’t wait to release them to the Bazzy’s community!
Shop Bazzy’s Kefir and sign up for their newsletter at BazzysKefir.com or follow them on Instagram at @bazzyskefir. And don’t forget to use code DAPPLE20 for 20% off through 12/31/2020. You can also purchase Bazzy’s Kefir at select California pet stores including, Bruno’s Venice, Hollywood Super Mart, AR Workshop Torrance, Urban Dog Den.
Shop Bazzy’s Kefir
