Meet Ashley Randolph of Jackson, MI

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Randolph

Hi Ashley, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
As a young girl growing up, I had my heart set on helping animals – I remember telling my Kindergarten teacher,, Ms. Gillespie, that I was going to be a vet one day; and that stuck with me through high school. After graduating high school, I went to college to earn my Veterinary Technician degree and to become a licensed technician. I started working in the veterinary field when I was 16 to help animals and help keep them healthy so they could live long happy lives with their family. After being in the field so long and after graduating college – I took up an interest in nutrition for pets. We always advocated that pets can’t be getting alot of treats and need to stick to a particular calorie intake to help achieve those goals. With being a pet parent of my own, I started doing research. I was noticing that alot mass manufactured treats were higher in calories – and with all the preservatives in them I wouldn’t dare eat it myself. And that is the moment that got me – If I wouldn’t eat this myself (due to all the preservatives) – why would I feed this to my pets?

I started Alfonzo’s Astonishing Treats in 2023 as a way to bring preservative free, low calorie and healthy dog treats to local pets. We started out small with what we had offered, and in the last year have expanded so much to having over 10 different recipes and even starting a line of cat treats! We are local to the Jackson, Michigan area and do many vendor markets in the local area. We get all of our meat from a Lane View Farm in Somerset, and try to attend farmers markets to get all fresh ingredients for our treats. Besides our small business, our pet treats can be found at Lane View Farm and Meckley’s Flavor Fruit Farm!

Treats are not only one of our specialties, as we offer homegrown catnip for our feline friends in jars and homemade catnip pillows! On top of these items, we also appeal to the pet owners by offering custom cutting boards/slate boards and slate coasters; pet first aid kits; and more!

If you want to check us out, find us on Facebook or Instagram at Alfonzo’s Astonishing Treats LLC, or call/text us at 616-824-2745, or email [email protected].

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I wouldn’t define it as smooth; it has definitely been bumpy. Our treat recipes have been a lot of trial and error before we have perfected them to send in for testing to be able to offer for pets. It’s not easy trying to find something that ingredient wise is appealing, but also visually appealing also.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Small business wise, I am a pet bakery – our primary specialty would be our gourmet pets treats, but we are also known for our catnip products and our custom pet boards!

I am most proud of the growth we have achieved and bringing more gourmet treats for pets to enjoy.

I feel our drive and determination is what sets us apart from the others. We strive to make our treats with local sourced items when possible. We love visiting our local farmer’s market to see whom we can support when we need additional ingredients.

So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
I would have to say helping to give a healthy treat alternative; ever since I was little I wanted to help pets, and I still have the opportunity to do that with their nutrition.

Pricing:

• Woofles $8.00
• Baked Treats – Pricing ranges based on size
• Catnip Jars $5-8.50
• Dog Toy Crates $25
• Custom Cutting Board – pricing varies

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alfonzosastonishingtreats/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlfonzosAstonishingTreatsLLC