For the past 10 years, Scoff Paper founder Gemma Connolly has volunteered for Guide Dogs charity, supporting guide dog puppies and helping to socialise them in readiness for their next phase of training.
Gemma began volunteering for Guide Dogs after suffering a major heart attack whilst working in a very stressful job. Volunteering for Guide Dogs helped to rehabilitate her and has led to supporting 16 dogs so far.
She usually has the dogs from around eight weeks to 15 months, and, like many dog lovers, likes to celebrate their birthdays, ‘gotcha’ days and other occasions.
Gemma came up with the idea for Scoff Paper in March 2020 when one of the guide dog puppies, Loki, tried to eat a greeting card that she had bought to celebrate his birthday.
This coincided with a period of employment dissatisfaction and health worries for naturally creative Gemma, so she decided to go for it. Gemma created the first range of edible card prototypes at her kitchen table when she realised the manufacturing capabilities for this type of product did not currently exist. After numerous calls and visits to local pet shops, she received her first order for 48 cards, which she produced by hand.
Fast forward three years, and after working two jobs and ploughing every single penny into the business, Gemma is proud to see her Scoff Paper cards on display at many major UK retailers, including John Lewis, Pets at Home, Pets Corner and hundreds of independent pet retailers. The products are now produced by bespoke machinery at Scoff Paper’s manufacturing facility in Buckshaw Village. The facility is capable of producing 2m cards per year.
Scoff Paper products are made with potatoes and natural flavourings, and are complementary to a dog’s diet. They come in a range of flavours, including bacon, cheese, chicken and peanut, as well as unflavoured.
The cards are designed for a variety of occasions, such as birthdays, Christmas, get well soon, gotcha days, Valentine’s, or just to say I love you, with messages such as ‘happy birthday to chew’ and ‘for the dog who eats everything’. The cards can also be personalised.
Additionally, the company produces dog-friendly edible ink pens for writing messages in the cards.
Product packaging is made using sustainable, renewable materials.
Discover more: www.scoffpaper.com
