A hobby making dog biscuits has turned into a career for 22-year-old Sophie Tregellis, whose Top Collar pet treat business is taking off in a big way.

After starting Top Collar in her parents’ kitchen in York, Sophie is now producing her healthy meals for cats and dogs in a commercial kitchen. She uses locally sourced, human-grade ingredients in all her products, a fact that has helped the business grow in such a short space of time.

“My customers want to know that all the ingredients I use are healthy for their animals. Pets are such an important part of family life so my products are made using local-sourced, human-grade ingredients,” said Sophie.

“The flavours all add to the fun element, with the classic Sunday Roast and Full English which are designed for dogs, and Fish and Chips for cats. The different ranges aim to help pets with certain conditions, such as the ‘Golden Oldie’ range which aims to ease arthritis, fatigue and stomach problems in older dogs.”

The young entrepreneur enjoyed a festive boost to business as sales of her Christmas Dinners for dogs soared, and the success story has continued with the introduction her vegetable treats this month.

Top Collar is starting 2014 poised for further expansion after winning a national award, which will help the business enter the wholesale market.

At the end of last year, the University of Leeds graduate won a Shell Live WIRE Grand Ideas Award, which saw her scoop a £1,000 prize.

Sophie has invested the money back into Top Collar with more sophisticated packaging for her products.

She said: “I’m trying to create exactly the right brand for the business which reflects its ethos and, by using heat-sealed packaging, the food lasts for six weeks which allows me to break into the wholesale market.”

Advice from Spark, the University of Leeds start-up service, led Sophie to launch her business while completing her philosophy degree, and in May she won the University’s Sir Peter Thompson Enterprise Award for promising entrepreneurs.

Sophie described the £5,000 prize money as a “great springboard” for Top Collar, with the money used to analyse and test her products to ensure they met dietary regulations, design the packaging, promote the brand and design her website.

The website was launched in November, and the online ordering system is now fully functioning.

“My mum Jean and I used to be volunteers of the RSPCA and we made dog biscuits to raise money for the organisation. That’s how it all started, making the biscuits in her kitchen.

“The business has now moved to a commercial kitchen and I’m using Leeds University students to help me make the treats and food. It’s all very exciting and things seem to have happened so fast.”

To find out more about Top Collar visit www.topcollar.co.uk