It's a dog's world at Jessie's Pantry

"I was trying to think of what to do while finishing up college virtually, here in Wrangell," Alex Angerman said. "My family and I were brainstorming, and it was actually my dad who thought of the idea to start making and selling dog treats."

Angerman has been running her dog-treat bakery, Jessie's Pantry, out of her home since October 2020. She graduated with honors this past spring from Eastern Washington University, with a degree in urban and regional planning and a minor in geography. She named the business after her dog, Jessie, a border collie and lab mix.

While it started as just a side project while finishing up school, she is keeping it going. The business, which offers a wide variety of homemade dog treats, has become popular among Wrangell residents and their pets.

"I definitely am self taught, some of the recipes came from online and some I read in recipe books," Angerman said. "I started with just making them for my dog, Jessie."

Some of the treats Jessie's Pantry offers include "Bring Home the Bacon" (a house-shaped treat made of flour, bacon and eggs), "Pumpkin Stars" (made of flour, eggs, pumpkin and applesauce) and "Oat Tracks" (made of baked apple oatmeal).

Her website points out that the treats are all made out of local ingredients. Beyond these dog treats, and others, Jessie's Pantry offers dog toys and stickers for sale.

"My newest treat that I have is a blueberry bear-shaped treat that I'll have all the time," she said. "It's made with Alaskan honey, and blueberries, and whole wheat flour and local eggs."

While Angerman said she intends to only keep Jessie's Pantry as a side business for now, she said she is not against expanding into other locations across Alaska. But local business is her priority for now, she said, taking online and phone orders, and selling at community markets. She also had some inventory at Twisted Root Market, she said.