Top DOG Georgie Paws is no ordinary dog accessories brand, with a focus on sustainability and a low environmental impact, launched by a 13-year-old entrepreneur.
H
ow do you go from chatting
“We then talked about when making products
about sheep to wanting to start
to sell, what happens to returns, how to avoid
a business? Well, ask Annette
that and how to reduce impact on the earth. I
Coleman, mum of Violet who
had always taught Violet the ‘buy once buy well’
launched her own business at the tender age of 13.
philosophy to reduce unnecessary consumption
“Violet and I were on a long drive and chatting
and waste. And so Georgie Paws was born.”
about why black sheep were not actually black,
Indeed, sustainability is at the core of the pet
but brown,” she laughs.
accessories brand, which was launched in 2016.
“Why are there only two different colour sheep
“Violet’s first chew toys were naïve, meaning she
and why not green sheep that would blend with
didn’t realise that the squeaker was plastic and
the environment?
toys were filled with Dacron,” adds Coleman, who
“Then out of the blue, Violet changed the
is also the brand’s operations manager.
subject to ‘I want to start a business’. We had
“Once she got over that shock, she found that
been looking at new collars for George, Violet’s
toys could be filled with cotton husk and still pass
Border Terrier dog and all we could find was
through bio-security. Last year she discovered
‘landfill’ (fake leather or nylon) or leather with studs.
coconut fibre was a better option—it is lighter (less
20
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