Local Vendor Feature: Luca & the Five Girls

Luca is one lucky dog. In 2014, five of his favorite girls spent the summer at his (Susan’s) house. Susan loved hosting her nieces and their friends in the summer. Twins Kate and Elli and their best friends Emery, Lauren and Rylie enjoyed aunt Susan’s Art Camp, getting creative, having fun, and thinking big together. What can be better than that, at six years old? One of their creative ideas grew into a big adventure. What began as a simple lemonade stand evolved into crafting special dog treats from organic, whole ingredients right in Susan’s kitchen. They tested lots of recipes, hand-drew the labels on each bag, and sold the treats throughout the neighborhood. Head taste-tester Luca approved, but they wanted to share their creation with ALL the good dogs.

By 2017, at 10 years old, the girls were ready to expand beyond their neighborhood. They started “Luca’s Dog Boutique”- named after Susan’s pup and official “Chief Dog Officer”. Susan has an entrepreneurial background and is familiar with the startup and scale process, so has guided and mentored the girls over the years. When they started their own LLC, the girls baked the treats at Susan’s house. Soon they were selling them at the Linden Hills Farmers Market, Edina Art Fair, and local independent businesses. Demand continued growing as more Minneapolis dog lovers discovered their treats, so they responded by scaling their operations- first hiring a team of bakers from 7500 Cooperative, a nearby retirement community, then again by sourcing to a professional bakery.

Giving back to their community is also a foundational element from the start. Since 2017 the girls have donated to the Animal Humane Society, and have since added Pets and People Together food shelf, Como Zoo, and Hennepin Pediatric Healthcare as community donation partners.

By 2019 they were running an online store, had reimagined the packaging, and officially re-branded to be “Luca & the Five Girls”- focusing on their signature “nummers”. In beef, chicken, and peanut butter pumpkin varieties, Luca & the Five Girls treats are packed with protein, heart-healthy grains, and made from human-grade, organic ingredients like eggs, chicken broth, milk, and cornmeal. They all love dogs, and wanted to make a treat that rose above other treats on the market, which they found to be rife with preservatives and unpronounceable ingredients.

Then by fall of 2020, they made the move to a nonprofit bakery facility in southwestern Edina that’s been the headquarters since. Within the nonprofit model, they employ adults with disabilities to bake the treats. Rotating job responsibilities is built into their business model, but the girls have their preferred roles. The girls are proud of what they’ve built,, how they’ve collaborated and learned over the years, and how they’ve expanded their market to several Midwest states. Nearly a decade later as the girls are college bound, the future of their business remains top of mind. With Susan’s encouragement, they’ve recruited and trained a group of younger girls to succeed them in running the business. Where did they meet these intrepid girls, interested in taking the reins, or leash- in this case? At a neighborhood lemonade stand, naturally.

Find their small batch, protein rich treats year-round at Wedge Linden Hills and Wedge Lyndale, and order wholesale from Co-op Partners Warehouse.

Check out our reel on social media!