Leading Dorset-based artisan ice-cream makers Baboo Gelato are set to take on the pet frozen treat market with the official launch of their new organic ice cream for dogs, Doggy Doggy Yum Yum.
Made with peanut butter and bananas which dogs find hard to resist, this frozen treat uses coconut milk instead of dairy so it is kinder to dogs’ tummies. The ice cream is 100% organic, natural and contains probiotics which come from the live yoghurt, vitamins C and B, iron, magnesium, copper and potassium from the coconut and bananas. It does not just taste good, it does your dog good as well if given as an occasional treat after a long walk in the countryside, the park or on the beach. The peanut butter is pure and so does not contain sugar, xylitol or palm oil. Doggy Doggy contains no artificial flavourings, colours or refined sugars.
Baboo Gelato believes that Doggy Doggy Yum Yum is the first frozen treat to meet all the dietary and environmental criteria as it is organic, dairy free, gluten free, suitable for vegans and is environmentally friendly as the container tub is fully recyclable.
Baboo Gelato was started by husband and wife team, Sam and Annie Hanbury after they moved to Dorset in 2012 and purchased a house with an overflowing garden and orchard. Inspired by their fruit, Annie went to Bologna to train as a professional gelatiere, before setting up a small artisanal manufacturing kitchen.
They opened their first kiosk in West Bay Dorset and were overwhelmed by the wonderful response from the community. Local restaurants and pubs then wanted their product; other kiosks wanted to rebrand to carry Baboo Gelato and shops wanted them to make ice cream in tubs.
The company has doubled in size each year ever since. They have now added kiosks in Lyme Regis and Weymouth. The passion for the business lies in their use of quality ingredients, sourced locally where possible and not using flavourings, colours or pastes in the manufacture of their ice cream.
Sam Hanbury says: “Much of our sales come from our kiosks which help us to know exactly what customers want. This is how Doggy Doggy Yum Yum came about. We found that people were buying ice cream for their dogs, and we were concerned that dogs are somewhat lactose intolerant. We experimented throughout 2019 with different ingredients, before creating an entirely organic and lactose free product.
“Although the name Doggy Doggy Yum Yum tells you who the product is for, it is completely human friendly, and is very popular with our human customers. It is vegan as well as organic, and most importantly it is delicious. Like all dog treats though, this is a frozen treat and should not be treated as a core diet or supplement.
“We are finding limitless demand during the summer not just from obvious pet retailers and specialist dog friendly places, but from ordinary cafés, pubs, restaurants, and tourist destinations. It just seems that most savvy people involved in Food & Drink want some of the poochie pound and we can help with a classy product, well supported with point of sale which includes, stickers, leaflets, posters and an A-frame sign which comes complete with space to put a dog bowl underneath it.”
Due to demand and scale, Baboo Gelato currently uses a third party manufacturer in Wales to make Doggy Doggy Yum Yum and this manufacturer has all necessary BRC/Salsa accreditation as well as Soil Association accreditation. Baboo Gelato has also won a plethora of awards including Champion Ice Cream at the 2016 Taste of the West awards (and one of three finalists every year since). In 2019 they received seven Gold Medals from Taste of the West and they have twelve stars from the Guild of Fine Foods. They were Highly Commended by Sheila Dillon in the Great British Food Awards 2019 for their Sea Pink Sorbet.
Sam continues: “As well as our obsession with ingredients, we care a lot about the look of our products. We are trying to build something for our children so the long term focus on a great looking brand is really important. For Doggy Doggy Yum Yum we have used an agency in Leeds to design a full brand. There are eight ‘character’ dogs within the brand, of which Dasha, the dog on the front cover of our branding is only one. Over time each new flavour will have a new dog to champion it. We want to take this brand a long way.
“We sell Baboo Gelato and Doggy Doggy Yum Yum to 150 restaurants, pubs and shops in the West Country, as well as having our own outlets. We distribute directly to all of them with the exception of River Cottage, who we are the exclusive supplier to, and who has outlets in Winchester and Bristol that we supply via a third party courier called BWRC.
“We are currently looking for wholesalers and distributors to help us get this brand out on a national basis. We also know the Far East very well, and believe that this product would be incredibly successful in dog-crazy countries like Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore. We’d love to move into exports. We have new flavours ready and waiting when we see demand pick up. Getting distributors is the absolute key. Depending on how the brand then develops, we plan to separate Doggy Doggy Yum, Yum into a separate company and raise additional capital in order to build it into an international brand,” says Sam.
When they are not making award-winning ice cream, both Sam and Annie like to relax with their dogs, two gorgeous Flatcoat Retriever girls, Dasha and Molly who are their first ever pedigree dogs and love to run in the surf on the nearby beach where they live.
Baboo Gelato and their Doggy Doggy Yum, Yum ice-cream will be exhibiting at The Source Bristol in June 2020. They will also be at the large agricultural Melplash Show in late August as well as a few smaller shows throughout the year. As the brand grows they will also be looking to attend major dog and pet shows.
If you are interested in becoming a distributor or stockist of Doggy Doggy Yum Yum then visit: www.doggydoggyyumyum.com or contact Sam Hanbury email: hello@doggydoggyyumyum.com. or Tel: 01308 488629.
