In this exclusive CanadianSME Small Business Magazine interview, Kourtney Spang, Founder of The Barking Brew, shares how creativity, resilience, and a love for pets led her from fresh ideas in Thornbury, Ontario to building Canada’s original non-alcoholic craft beer for dogs. Inspired by her own experience as a single mom and entrepreneur—and motivated by her dog Busch, the brand’s first taste-tester—Kourtney has grown The Barking Brew into a nationwide success, forging community, partnerships, and joyful moments for dogs and their humans across more than 200 locations.
Kourtney Spang is the founder and creative force behind The Barking Brew, Canada’s original non-alcoholic beer for dogs. A passionate entrepreneur from Thornbury, Ontario, Kourtney built The Barking Brew from the ground up with one simple mission: to create fun, healthy, and memorable bonding experiences between people and their pets.
What personal experiences or inspirations led you to create Canada’s first non-alcoholic beer for dogs, and how did that spark grow into The Barking Brew?
The idea for The Barking Brew started when a friend gave me a canned dog beverage from a U.S. convention. My dog, Busch, wouldn’t touch it, and that moment stuck with me. I realized there was room to create something better, healthy, fun, and crafted with the same care you’d expect from a quality beverage for people.
After research, I learned there were already a few non alcoholic dog beers in Canada, but none like what I envisioned. That led me to create Canada’s first peanut flavoured craft dog beer and food topper. It is simple and locally made to promote hydration and to let dog owners include their pets in the social moments they love. It also mimics the look of a beer, so ordering a pint for yourself and a “pup pint” for your dog becomes a shared ritual.
I also noticed that dogs are welcomed at many pet friendly locations, but they are rarely actually served something created just for them. I wanted to change that. Our Peanut Butter Pilsner is a low fat, low calorie beverage treat that can entice extra hydration or be used as a food topper for picky eaters. Today, The Barking Brew is about connection, shared memories, and bringing joy to both sides of the leash.
What strategies, partnerships, or milestones have most contributed to scaling The Barking Brew from a small startup to distribution in over 200 locations nationwide?
Scaling The Barking Brew has come from persistence, help of mentors and simple, honest marketing. A key milestone was securing a reliable manufacturer with Boshkung Brewery, which let us increase volume while staying Ontario made. We also streamlined operations by tightening logistics, pasteurization, and canning timelines so retailers could count on consistent supply.
Retail relationships have driven growth. I connected directly with pet stores, breweries, restaurants, and food trucks, dropping samples, visiting in person, and making reorders easy. We support partners with a store locator, social posts for every new location, and in store posters that help the product move.
On the marketing side, authenticity wins. We share real dogs enjoying “pup pints,” highlight retailers by name, and repost customer content. Each new account gets announced across our channels to drive traffic back to them.
Visibility moments have compounded results. Media features, pitch events, rescue collaborations, and on site hydration activations put us in front of new audiences and built trust. Together, these strategies turned a small idea brewed in Ontario into a brand now found in over 200 locations and expanding into new provinces.
How has The Barking Brew’s product lineup evolved since your original bone marrow brew, and what feedback has shaped your development of treats like Peanut Butter Pilsner?
The Barking Brew began with our original bone marrow brew, a rich, natural collagen recipe made from locally sourced Angus beef bone marrow. Dogs loved its strong aroma and flavor, but we learned it was a little too bold for humans to keep on counters or serve in social settings. That insight pushed us to create something just as healthy and exciting for dogs, but more approachable for owners and retailers.
Enter Peanut Butter Pilsner. It keeps the nutritional focus while using two simple ingredients, defatted peanuts and water, for a gentler, crowd pleasing aroma. The familiar peanut scent makes it fun to serve and easy for dogs to love, and it opened new use cases as both a hydration treat and a food topper to entice picky eaters.
We now rely on the same feedback loop for every improvement. At events, we speak with pet parents and retailers about what they enjoy and what they want next. Their input has guided everything from flavor direction to packaging choices, helping The Barking Brew grow from a niche idea into a recognizable Canadian brand centered on hydration and shared moments between dogs and their people.
In your view, how might the availability of dog beverages at pet-friendly venues transform customer experiences and strengthen community connections among pet owners?
When venues offer a safe, tasty drink made just for dogs, visits become shared rituals, order a pint, order a pup pint. That simple moment creates delight, photos, and conversations between strangers, which strengthens the social fabric of the space.
For operators, a dog beverage adds a low lift, high joy touchpoint that increases dwell time and repeat visits. It gives staff a fun way to engage guests, and it generates organic content as customers post their dogs enjoying a “cheers.” Retailers and patios can build micro-events around it, hydration stations, adoption pop-ups with local rescues, turning foot traffic into community.
It also signals care: by serving dogs, venues show they understand how families actually socialize. That builds loyalty and word-of-mouth. Over time, these moments create a network effect and pet owners start choosing businesses where both sides of the leash feel welcome. In short, dog beverages convert inclusivity into connection, and connection into community.
As you look ahead, what advice or message would you like to share with other entrepreneurs who want to turn their unique ideas into impactful, community-driven businesses?
My advice to other entrepreneurs is simple: do it. Do it every day, even when it’s hard, even when no one else sees your vision yet. The small, consistent steps you take on the tough days are what build momentum. Passion will spark your idea, but discipline will turn it into something real.
Surround yourself with people who believe in what you’re doing, but stay grounded in why you started. Listen to feedback, adapt, and keep climbing, because every challenge is just a part of the process that shapes you and your business. Most importantly, create something that gives back, connects people, or adds joy to your community. That’s where the real impact is.
