Inu Treats

Pet Treat Company Boosts Efficiency by 30 Percent, Enables Growth with New Software

Inu Treats makes tasty, healthy pet treats that have taken the dog-loving public by storm. After a year of tremendous growth, owners Dan and Tina Garrido invested in the Windows Vista® operating system and the 2007 Microsoft® Office system. This improved efficiency by 30 percent and boosted revenue by 40 percent. They’ve also equipped employees with mobile communications and enhanced business insight and decision making.
 

Business Needs

Inu Treats began in early 2007 when husband and wife Dan and Tina Garrido gave up on finding snacks for their dogs, Otis and Ellie. Most dog treats on the market are filled with corn, soy, and wheat—high allergens for pets. So the couple experimented in their kitchen with snacks in the shape of pot stickers and cookie “bones,” using ingredients such as salmon, turkey, spinach, natural peanut butter, and blueberries. The treats were a hit with Otis and Ellie, as well as with pet owners at local street fairs. Instantly, the Garridos saw a market opportunity; they quit their day jobs and launched Inu Treats (inu means dog in Japanese).

Within one year, Inu Treats began selling products in multiple states but had a hard time keeping up with business growth. While the Garridos used a computer to record recipes and keep track of retailers and ingredients, they also relied on manual processes. “We depended on a lot of paper and couldn’t keep track of all the information that customers and distributors shared with us,” says Dan Garrido, Vice President of Sales and Operations for Inu Treats.

Inventory tracking was another challenge. “We were making products on an as-needed basis, and we didn’t have data to make the best decisions,” adds Tina Garrido, President of Inu Treats

. “We visited local retailers and jotted down orders on paper, then reentered them into a spreadsheet at home. We wasted time and lost sales due to these inefficiencies.”

Dan Garrido knew that the young company needed more sophisticated technology to support decisions and improve productivity. “I realized that if we were going to even think about making this an actual business, we needed better technology support.”

Solution

The Garridos turned to Microsoft® software because of its familiarity, simplicity, and flexibility. Inu Treats installed the Windows Vista® operating system on the company’s three notebook computers because of the program’s security, ease of use, and file-finding speed. “I’m not the most tech-savvy person in the world, and Windows Vista is really user friendly,” Tina Garrido says.

Since implementing Microsoft software, we’ve seen a 30 percent increase in efficiency. We’re able to spend more time creating new products, bringing in more employees, and making better-quality dog treats. Tina Garrido President, Inu Treats

Inu Treats then installed Microsoft Office Professional 2007 and Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, which synchronizes the Microsoft Office Outlook® 2007 messaging and collaboration client on company notebook computers and T-Mobile Dash phones, helping the Garridos stay connected to the business when away from the office.

To forecast sales, track trend development, and create staff schedules, the company relies on Microsoft Office Excel® 2007 spreadsheet software. And with Microsoft Office Word 2007, the couple can write letters and blog. Dan and Tina Garrido also use the Microsoft Office OneNote® 2007 note-taking program to make quick notations throughout the day and Microsoft Office PowerPoint® 2007 presentation graphics program to create retailer and distributor presentations. “Microsoft gives us a complete solution,” says Tina Garrido.

The Garridos use Microsoft Office Project 2003 to manage new-product releases, manufacturing schedules, and trade-show preparation. They use Microsoft Office Visio® 2007 drawing and diagramming software to create process flowcharts and manufacturing diagrams.

Benefits

Inu Treats is set to take on national expansion with a flexible software solution that can easily accommodate new work processes, products, employees, and business directions. With their increased efficiency, the Garridos can more easily manage rapid growth.

Significant Timesavings

“Since implementing Microsoft software, we’ve seen a 30 percent increase in efficiency,” Dan Garrido says. “We’re able to spend more time creating new products, bringing in new employees, and improving our dog treats.” For example, by using Office Project 2003, the company can manage trade-show preparation by creating schedules and task lists. With their warehouse layout in Office Visio 2007, the Garridos can easily fine-tune the production process to accommodate new products.

Improved Insights

Using Office Excel 2007, the Garridos can better analyze their business. “We can pull reports on our top sellers, forecast future trends, and control our cash flow,” Tina Garrido says. “We can immediately see our profitability and direct our growth more intelligently. We feel comfortable going to banks, distributors, vendors, and retailers and showing them our data in a comprehensive and professional way.”

Increased Revenue

Inu Treats has seen exponential demand for its products, posting growth of approximately 40 percent its first year. In the next two years, the company will promote national distribution and begin selling cat treats. “Using Microsoft software was critical in our ability to go from producing zero to thousands of packages a month,” Tina Garrido says.

Constantly Connected

“Because we’re a small business without the resources of larger organizations, we all have to be mobile,” Dan Garrido says. “I’m on the road a lot visiting customers and distributors, and it’s absolutely critical that I have immediate access to business information to make the right decisions.”

Tina Garrido adds, “It’s critical that we stay connected with our vendors and with one another through e-mail. We know what one another is doing and can keep everything moving forward.”

Environmentally Friendly

Honoring the environment is important to the Garridos. When they visit vendors, distributors, and retailers, they are able to give presentations using notebook computers. “Instead of printing brochures, we can show our ideas to partners electronically, which is a more convenient and environmentally friendly way to operate,” Tina Garrido says.

Dan Garrido concludes, “We’re passionate about Inu Treats, and Microsoft is passionate about creating great software. We share the same business philosophy.”

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