Meet 14-year-old entrepreneur Ava Dorsey, whose dream to make healthy pet treats has grown into a USDA-certified organic baked treat company called Ava’s Pet Palace.
Ava started her business out of her love and passion for animals, as well as wanting to spend more time with her pets, including the family dog, Rock. She noticed that a lot of the treats Rock ate had some unhealthy ingredients — not to mention a very long ingredient list. To solve this problem, she started developing treat recipes that were completely organic and preservative-free, with as few ingredients as possible.
“For me, healthy food has always been about organic and natural ingredients,” Ava says. “When I was baking treats in my kitchen, we only bought and used organic ingredients. Now that my business has grown, we work with bigger kitchens. And they use only organic ingredients.”
A family affair
Ava’s parents supported her dream from the very start. In the beginning, they helped her bake the treats and took her to local shows to sell them. Now, she sells her treats to pet lovers in all 50 states and is expanding monthly into new pet stores. In June 2020, her mom left her career in real estate to become Ava’s Pet Palace’s first full-time employee.
Her father helps with special projects, and her two younger sisters help when they can. The current family pet, Lacy, a Miniature Pinscher mix, is the official treat taste tester. She loves all the flavors like Cheeze Pleeze, Peanutty Paws and Gone Bananas. (Check out all the yummy flavors at avaspetpalace.com.)
A growing business
When this high school freshman entrepreneur is not taking on the pet world by storm, she enjoys baking all types of human desserts like cookies and cakes, and reading realistic fiction. She also enjoys spending time outside riding her bike, walking her dog and hanging out with her friends.
So what’s next for Ava’s Pet Palace?
Ava is busy developing new treats for both cats and dogs while continuing to expand to new stores to carry her products. She is also excited to be adding a new treat pouch, toys, leashes and collars to her growing lineup of products.
According to Ava, her purpose has always been “creating a healthier world for our pets, people and planet.” With Ava’s Pet Palace, she is already creating a healthier world for our pets. Given her passion and how much she has already achieved, there’s no telling what she may accomplish in the future.
Follow Ava’s Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and on Tiktok @avaspetpalace.
