Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Kettner
Hi Ashley, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I moved to the Morgan area in 2014 when I met my husband, Dan. I had zero knowledge or experience with farming or livestock. However, I quickly developed a passion for the Agriculture industry. I spent the next decade working with livestock in some form; from working with cattle ranchers across North America to developing a Pasture-To-Plate business off the farm. In 2023, we began hearing the same comments from our customers, “we can’t find single ingredient, healthy treats for our dog” and “we don’t have freezer space for our dog, we need it for our food”.
We didn’t typically buy specialty treats as we had access to the best right here on our ranch, so this part of the pet industry was unfamiliar to me. This led to many months of research. By the end of that year we determined there was absolutely a gap in the industry and it wasn’t easy to track down a variety of single ingredient treats unless you had a connection with a livestock operation or a butcher shop nearby – and lets face it. November of 2023 we launched our dehydrated Beef and Pork treats; Liver, Lung, and Heart.
Fast forward to January 2025, we now partner with multiple family businesses to be sure we can consistently supply all natural, nutrient dense, single ingredient, treats, chews, and food toppers! We are currently offering species such as Beef, Pork, and Chicken with plans to expand species for both treats and chews as we grow.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has not been as smooth as I’d like, but we can’t learn and grow if it had been smooth, right?
A couple topics come to mind.
First, discovering no matter the processes, testing, etc we have in place, the humidity change here in MN will greatly alter certain stages of our process regardless of our HVAC system setup. This is something we could’ve only discovered by completing each season. However, it’s allowed us to become creative and work through solutions to overcome this hurdle.
Second, marketing.
Marketing is a weak spot for me, yet critical to any business. Where we fell short on running it “smoothly”, is the challenge of finding the right information and/or the best marketing partner for our business. There is a lot of information regarding “marketing” online – which strategy works best for one person, will not work best for you. I have learned that the only way to truly find out what works best for your business, is to simply try things. And to remind yourself when it doesnt work out that it’s not a “failed attempt”, it was a chance to learn something new!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m proud to say my husband, Dan, is the 6th generation to operate our cattle ranch! Although I didn’t grow up with Agriculture, I found a love for it! I have spent the last decade working with cattle producers to improve the health of their livestock, teaching them signs the animals give us if they are deficient in something particular.
Working with cattle health and nutrition also led me to study, test, and teach benefits of healthy soil and the impacts it can have on the quality of animal, quality of forages, and quality of meat.
I’m honored to have had those experiences and to be able to take that knowledge into the pet treat industry and help educate and provide top quality products to those looking to take the best care of their fur babies!
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Having a love for animals and wanting to do what’s best for them. Treating them as family and being their voice.
The ability to try something new regardless of how nervous I am.
The ability to hear my customers concerns about the industry and work to find a solution.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://triplerpettreats.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/triplerpettreats/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/triplerpettreatsllc
