Madison-based Petphoria offers ‘luxury dog treats’ for your pet

Some pets have become lazy coworkers for people working from home these days, but Beni — Grace Wang’s yorkie — has kept busy as the inspiration and spokesdog for his owner’s new business. 

Wang launched Petphoria, a Madison-based line of “luxury dog treats” in December 2020 after raising $3,549 through Kickstarter. Wang’s homemade, organic treats come in four different (and punny) flavors, including Peanut Barker, Pawfect Stew, Blueberry Apple Paws and Carrot Crunchies. Wang says the 6-ounce containers are cute enough to keep even after the treats are gone.

Packaging, branding and influencer partnerships are three areas of focus for many new businesses today. Memorable packaging can be what turns a one-time buyer into a returning customer. And according to Leverage Marketing, 49% of people rely on influencer recommendations for purchasing decisions. Wang checks both boxes for packaging and branding with her containers and Beni-inspired branding and logo. And Peter Kraus — owner of his Middleton fitness studio Peter Kraus Fitness, runner-up on season 13 of “The Bachelorette” and an Instagrammer with a whopping 385,000 followers — featured Petphoria’s products on his Instagram story in January, sharing the treats with his pup, Daisy.

Photo of Beni courtesy of Grace Wang

Benji enjoys a Petphoria treat

Petphoria’s slogan states it’s a dog treat brand with a “furpose” beyond unforgettable packaging and an adorable mascot. On the frontend of the business, Wang wants Petphoria to bring joy and comfort to dogs across the nation. On the backend, she’s helping provide jobs to people with disabilities in Wisconsin. Wang outsources the production of her treats to the Eisenhower IKE Center, a Milwaukee nonprofit that employs adults with disabilities. Her partnership with the center has employed at least 10 people. Eventually, Wang hopes to transfer order fulfillment and shipping to the nonprofit as well. 

“Instead of doing things the easy way and donating 10% of profits, I wanted to truly make an impact in people’s lives,” Wang says.

Wang wants to work with Madison-area dog boutiques and then expand outside the city. Her goal is to be available in shops around the U.S. in the next five years. 

Wang went to school in Los Angeles for merchandising and business and has previous experience with successful business ventures. On top of owning Petphoria, Wang also works as an account executive at The Digital Ring, a Madison digital marketing and web design agency.

Petphoria can be found online at shoppetphoria.com or on Facebook, TikTok, Pinterest and Instagram.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Petphoria – Luxury Dog Treats (@petphoria)