Baked Bones

Brantley Highfill & Chris Steward
BakedBones helps pet parents share the benefits of CBD with their dogs. Our recipes combine organic farming, human-grade ingredients, and the best full-spectrum hemp to “Bake Dogs Happy”.

We have been hard at work this summer and we want to show off our awesome founders! Meet the startups in Class 10 of OwlSpark and Class 1 of BlueLaunch. Kicking off our #FounderSpotlightSeries is Baked Bones from Rice University BlueLaunch!

Tell me about your company:

We make handmade organic hemp infused supplements and treats for dogs with human-grade ingredients. As one of the first licensed hemp manufacturers in Texas in summer of 2020 this is a labor of love and passion. Dog parents ourselves, we were inspired by the way we like to spoil and help our own dogs keeping them healthy, happy and comfortable. 

Through our dog treats, supplements and everyday recipes we Bake Dogs Happy! We don’t take lightly that people trust us with something as important as their dog- their child. We take that responsibility seriously!

What have you accomplished in the program so far?

This program has been an incredibly helpful resource in connecting us with a community. Being able to connect with other like-minded entrepreneurs and understand that a lot of the obstacles we have dealt with or are currency dealing with, other people or industries are facing as well. Hearing someone else say, “help I don’t know how to do this!” shows you’re not alone in this journey. Sharing one another's experiences has become such an “oh my god you get it and understand me” moment that is so beneficial. 

Your backgrounds are in architecture and trade floor analyst, how did you get here? 

It’s been a non-traditional path, we’ve leveraged our experiences as an architect and analyst to contribute to create a better product more holistically. We wanted to break out of the corporate culture that is just about profit or self promotion. We wanted to be doing something with my days that has a positive impact that helps people for the better. Our goal is not to become billionaires (we wouldn’t mind it though), but our motivation has been creating a positive impact. 

Fun Facts:

I listen to podcasts while I bake the dog treats, so I’m putting love into the product but also the random history facts I’m learning into the treats. These are going to be some very smart dogs.

We donate 10% of our profits to no-kill shelters, where we have had quite an impact across Houston shelters. We have also started making donations to pets who have passed away in their name for our customers.