Confectioners are a self-confident profession, and rightly so. After all, what they conjure up on the table is often the best patisserie and miles away from home cooking or what mothers usually have. It might not be such a good idea to go up to one of those and ask him if he could please make treats for dogs, after all he’s an expert? The answer would probably be interesting.
But Daniela Sepp is made of different stuff. The 39-year-old has gained some notoriety in Munich among people who like to eat well for popularizing macarons in the city. Macarons are a light, fluffy pastry in the shape of a round cookie from France. Most of the time, two of the cookies made from meringue dough with almond flour are connected by a layer of cream. “I discovered macarons for myself at the airport in Paris in 2010,” says Daniela Sepp, “but I couldn’t find them anywhere back home in Munich.” So a business idea germinated: make and sell macarons yourself.
After completing her training, the trained advertising clerk worked in the real estate business for a time, “otherwise I wouldn’t have had the start-up capital” and was looking for a job that she really enjoyed anyway. And so she founded Principessa’s – a classic startup that has been making macarons and selling baking mixes, ice cream mixes, spreads and snacks to go with them. Principessa, because her grandfather from South Tyrol always called her that: Princess. Up until five years ago, there was even a Principessa store on Radlsteg, but it wasn’t profitable enough to pay high rents in the city center. Standing in the shop and baking at night didn’t work in the long run either, and so the macarons are now produced in Laim and mainly sold online (www.principessas.de).
Delicious for people by Daniela Sepp: Macarons, an airy, creamy pastry.
(Photo: Florian Peljak)
Funnily enough, French pastry was not her first idea, with which she could imagine working in the food sector. “Enjoyment has always played an important role for me,” she says, “I love sweets and I also love salty snacks.” Dogs also play an important role in her life. She loves them too and has had a dog for most of her life. And that’s why at some point the thought inevitably came up: How about having treats that not only taste good to dogs, but also to people?
And treats for dogs that mum and dad can also eat: Daniela Sepp’s new business idea.
(Photo: Alessandra Schellnegger)
Anyone who has a dog knows that look that only a heart of stone could resist. “Are you about to abandon me to cruel starvation?” Says this look, and a fat, plump pug has it just as virtuously as a slim, graceful greyhound. As a result, a morsel of food lands between the animal’s lips, and with one bite, the job is done. Eaten, so to speak. avoided starvation. At least until the next treat.
Daniela Sepp knows this situation well enough. After a break of a few years, during which she was too busy to keep a dog, she now has one again: Püppi. Püppi is a Bolonka bitch; Bolonkas are a Russian variant of the Bichon breed known for being small, long-haired, or curly-haired lap dogs. Püppi is something very special, says her owner. Not that she doesn’t have the eye, every dog, every bitch can do it. “It was difficult on the sofa in the evening,” says Sepp, “I get weak when I eat potato chips, but it’s poison for dogs.” Because dogs cannot tolerate a lot of things that are not a problem for most people. Salty snacks, for example, chocolate, and dairy products are unhealthy for them, as are grapes, raw fish and avocados, for example. Dogs cannot break down many of these foods in their bodies, which at least leads to symptoms of poisoning.
In addition, Püppi is quite tricky in other respects and by no means eats everything. There was nothing to be done with rice cakes, Sepp’s alternative to potato chips, or salty and sweet nibbles. And so Sepp remembered her old idea of creating healthy treats for mum and dad and their dog.
Potatoes, chickpeas, mild curry: one of the snacks with a “wow effect”
In such matters she proceeds thoroughly, which had already proved to be the case with the macarons and paid off. At that time, she had taken a special macarons baking course in Paris, only to find out at home that she had to have proper pastry training, with all the trimmings, for commercial use in Germany. Or, alternatively, an exceptional permit from the confectioners’ guild. “I annoyed them with a lot of e-mails,” she reports, “until they let me take the exam.” The theory was not a problem, for the practical she practiced for a long time in the restaurant Albarone di Monaco with the chef Georg Mayrhofer, a friend of her father, who, like him, comes from South Tyrol. It then worked out, the examiners gave her the approval, “although I was so nervous that my macarons really didn’t look nice”. They’ve been perfect ever since, macarons are like baking pretzels for her.
Fortunately, things are a bit simpler when it comes to human-friendly dog treats. The main thing here was to find the right ingredients that taste good to both humans and animals. In their prototypes, Sepp relies primarily on three basic products: potatoes, chickpeas and peas. They are then enriched with various spices, from fenugreek and fennel to coriander, turmeric, caraway and cloves and cinnamon. And through herbs, mainly those from the Mediterranean region: basil, oregano and rosemary, for example. Later she wants to expand this snack portfolio, “I have a lot of ideas!” It all adds up to “Better Bites” which they sell under the new brand “Best Foodies” (www.best-foodies.de) wants to sell. “Will” because there are already two prototypes – potato cubes with peas and Mediterranean herbs and potatoes, chickpeas and mild curry. However, a certain amount of investment is still required for a proper production, and this money, 8,000 euros, she now wants to raise through crowdfunding start next raise. According to the founder, the campaign for the “natural snack with a wow effect” is still running until June 8th.
The “specialist for niche products” (Sepp about herself) is already aware that she will not get rich with her better bites. But since the snacks are both organic, vegan, low-fat and high in protein and fiber, she sees a certain potential among nutrition-conscious customers. Who is also fond of animals, because part of the income goes to the animal aid organization “Cats and Dogs in need“. How much is not yet clear, it also depends on the later selling price. Daniela Sepp still fluctuates between 2.99 and 3.49 euros for the bag. It depends on how the dog lovers jump on their snacks. And their four-legged friends of course too!