Since launching its second generation of products in July, Marsh Dog—the Baton Rouge company that produces dog treats made from nutria meat—has already seen its treats hit store shelves in six states and plans to expand further in 2020.
After a nearly two-year hiatus, Marsh Dog returned to stores this summer with three new products—two soft treats, one made with a grain-free cranberry recipe and the other with a brown rice and sweet potato recipe, as well as a crunchy treat made with a blueberry recipe.
To date, these treats have been carried by independent retailers, specialty grocers, vet clinics and outfitters in Texas, Washington, North Carolina, Alabama and Indiana, in addition to Louisiana, where the company was founded in 2012. Out-of-state interest in the products rose once national media outlets picked up a story about the company, originally published on houmatoday.com in September, according to Veni Harlan, who co-founded Marsh Dog with siblings Hansel Harlan and Gretel Harlan Kelley.
“We don’t have a big advertising budget, so we’ve been attending lots of events and conferences locally,” she says. “Going out of state is a whole different animal, mostly grassroots stuff, but it’s worked out so far.”
The company is partnering with Rouses Supermarkets to sell its products at select stores across the Gulf Coast that have “biscuit bars,” a move that will bring Marsh Dog’s brand footprint to Mississippi in the coming days. The treats will also make their way to Pennsylvania sometime in January.
Hansel Harlan originally conceived the idea for the company after learning about the damage nutria cause to marsh grasses and reading about how an expensive state campaign to promote nutria consumption proved ineffective. He pitched Marsh Dog as a way to contribute to wetlands conservation through nutria consumption.
The company’s ongoing expansion comes two years after it signed a deal with a national manufacturer and ceased production while transitioning from making treats in-house to producing them in a major production facility, along with redesigning the packaging.
Harlan confirms Marsh Dog is currently developing new products, but declines to disclose details about what they are or when they’re expected to be released.
