In an exclusive interview with CanadianSME Small Business Magazine, Tonya Coulthard, Founder and CEO of B&T Pets, shares her inspiring journey from a high-flying corporate career to launching a pet treat brand rooted in quality, sustainability, and family values.
With family at the heart of her entrepreneurial story, she discusses the challenges of transitioning from corporate life, the importance of community support, and the lessons she hopes to pass on to her children. Read on to learn how B&T Pets is making an impact in Canada’s pet industry and what advice she has for aspiring entrepreneurs looking to turn their passion into a thriving business.
As Founder and CEO of B&T Pets, I am focused on the sourcing and manufacturing of our all-natural, single-ingredient, novel protein treats for cats and dogs. With a lean team of two, I wear multiple hats— managing production, spearheading new product development, driving marketing initiatives, building our website, and expanding our sales and distribution network from local pet stores to nationwide retailers across Canada. Throughout all these endeavors, I ensure that our commitment to producing high-quality products remains uncompromised.
Can you share your journey from working in corporate roles to founding B&T Pets? What were some of the key challenges you faced?
I worked very hard over 18 years to build an internationally respected career in the scientific research equipment industry, so much so that when I got married in 2016 I knew I could not change my last name.
However, building my career took its toll on me, and my family. I travelled internationally on a very regular basis for most of those 18 years. For most of that time, I loved what I did. However, as my children became little humans, I realized the effect that being away as much as 25% of their life was having on both them and me. What solidified my decision to make a change was the effect that stress was having on my health.
I was fortunate to walk away from a cancer diagnosis, losing just a portion of my tongue; being given the all-clear to live my life, while both my dad and brother had passed from cancer in the previous 10 years. This is what started my internal drive to create this change.
I was scared to lose the identity I’d built around my career and worried about supporting my family. The question that screamed the loudest – what if it doesn’t work? My response to all of the questions was – But what if it does!
My exit from corporate life went from a 3-5 year plan to leaving within just two weeks of the three-month notice I had given. With the support of my entire family we decided to “burn the bridges”, and I took the leap into founding B&T Pets without ever looking back.
This approach worked for me, only because of my family’s financial support – I am and will be forever grateful for having the stability, and ability, to dive into my entrepreneurial dreams with both feet. Never looking back.
Your commitment to using high-quality, locally sourced ingredients is commendable. How do you ensure that your supply chain aligns with your values, in such a crowded market?
In starting my own business, I had to ensure it allied with my ethos – the values and morals that I use as my guiding principles. From the start, I committed to supporting Canadian suppliers—despite financial reasons to look outside of our borders, but to secure access to quality, locally sourced ingredients.
Where possible, I work directly with farmers and ensure their practices and products meet our standards, and when that’s not feasible, I build relationships with suppliers asking the same questions of them as I do the farmers to ensure their products meet our expectations.
I will not compromise our commitment to quality and local sourcing, for profit.
Family support seems to play a significant role in your entrepreneurial journey. How has involving your family, particularly your children, influenced your approach to business and the lessons you hope to impart to them?
My kids, now 5 and 7, proudly tell their friends they help “mommy with the pet treats and markets.” It’s a great way for us to bond—while they work, they chat openly about their time spent at school and with friends. I am working to impart on them, early in life, that the typical 9-to-5 isn’t the only path to success, and that true achievement comes from within rather than from others’ judgments.
The decision to enter a competitive consumer market can be daunting. What unique niche did you identify for B&T Pets, and how did you set yourself apart?
Drawing from my own search for quality, minimally processed, single-ingredient treats made in Canada—ideally in Ontario, with all-natural, locally sourced ingredients—I recognized a gap in the market. There were very few, if any, commercial level manufacturers.
Determined to stand out, I focused on novel proteins – those that are not found in most pet foods/treats; I made ethically harvested seal meat my starting point. Securing seal meat was my sign to seek other unique proteins. I value the moments when even pet industry veterans express their excitement when they hear about the treats I am manufacturing.
As a new entrepreneur, what advice would you give to other small and medium-sized businesses looking to carve out their own space in the market? Any final thoughts or insights you’d like to share?
Identify, and then focus on, a clear market need; filling it with passion and innovation. Set realistic expectations within yourself and with those around you, and don’t hesitate to ask for help in whatever form it may be available.
Most importantly, share your enthusiasm for what you do—build relationships based on mutual support rather than just what others can do for you.
The post From Corporate to Canine: A Pet Entrepreneur’s Story first appeared on CanadianSME Small Business Magazine.