A pet trade entrepreneur has gained a £50,000 funding boost after an appearance on BBC TV’s Dragons’ Den.
Gemma Connolly, who markets Scoff Paper edible greeting cards for dogs, secured the backing from the Den’s Sara Davies in last night’s edition of the programme (February 15).
Volunteer guide dog puppy raiser Connolly, who appeared on the show alongside golden retriever Leo, came up with the idea for Scoff Paper in March 2020 when one of the guide dog puppies, Loki, tried to eat a greeting card that she had bought to celebrate his birthday.
She went on to devise a range of edible cards made with potatoes and natural flavourings for a variety of occasions through the development of bespoke manufacturing processes and machinery. The items can be personalised, and the company produces dog-friendly edible ink pens for writing messages in the cards.
Scoff Paper cards are already available at Pets at Home, Pets Corner and hundreds of independent pet retailers, as well as other UK retailers such as John Lewis. The manufacturing facility in Buckshaw Village, Lancashire, is capable of producing two million cards per year and, with the new backing, Connolly aims to expand further in the UK and internationally.
Sara Davies offered Connolly £50K for 25% of the company, with the option to claim 5% back if she recoups her investment within the first 12 months of their collaboration.
Connolly said: “I’m not good at blowing my own trumpet, but I gave it everything I had when I went into The Den and was proud of my presentation and my responses to the Dragons’ subsequent grilling. It probably helped that I had Leo by my side.
“When Sara said she believed in me and my vision, it meant so much. I’m over the moon that she chose to invest in my little company that’s got its eye on global domination. After all, is there a dog on this planet that doesn’t love a tasty treat? With Sara’s know-how and support, I can put 100% of my time and focus into our business and get the bespoke manufacturing facility running at maximum capacity.”
