Glassell Park local launches raw dog treat company that gives back

GLASSELL PARK (KABC) -- Glassell Park local Michelle Chu launched her dog food company Kono's Kitchen in July.

"Kono's Kitchen is a brand of freeze-dried or raw dog treats," said Chu.

Chu has been working on Kono's Kitchen since 2019. It's named after her rescue dog Kono.

"With a fresh food or raw food diet, what they aren't getting as super processed food. They're getting foods that are fresh. They're getting foods that will naturally help with tartar and with their dental hygiene," Chu said.

Though her company is new, Chu said her brand is catching on.

"I've had a lot of people come to me and say like, 'We've heard about your treats from a friend,' which is amazing, I think. Within four months that I have that word of mouth," she said.

But it hasn't been easy, she's still working a full-time job in digital marking.

"I think it's been very challenging for me. And then also, for me, what's been really rewarding has been seeing the community grow," said Chu.

The brand also has a charitable aspect to it.

"I launched with the mission to donate 10% of all treat sale profits to a featured rescue pup each month and their medical costs," said Chu.

For the holidays, Chu is selling TreatBoxes. In every TreatBox, there are products made by women-of-color-owned small businesses.

"I really wanted to feature these women of color small business businesses and highlight them because that's really important to me as a woman of color and to a daughter of immigrants myself," said Chu.

Visit konoskitchen.com to find out more.