Startup Story
Every pet owner wants the best for their beloved furry friends, including giving them healthy diets, and that’s where Adele Mans, co-founder of Bismark’s Bistro, is on hand to help. Her business provides pet owners with healthy and well-balanced food and customized eating plans to keep their dogs and cats healthy and happy.
LoA chatted to Adele Mans about the inspiration for this unique business and brand, and her plans for the future.
What does your company do?
Bismark’s Bistro is for all the dogs and cats out there whose hard-working parents just don’t have the time to cook them healthy and well-balanced food. The deliciously steamed menu provides your pet with real fresh human grade ingredients with exact portions to help with weight issues and sensitive digestion systems. Your pets will receive their customised order at their door with our super friendly delivery service on Wednesdays and Thursdays in the Western Cape. For super sensitive tummies or for those that are not feeling too well, we can custom make a menu and deliver it to wherever they are. Our passion is to help cats and dogs with alternative healthy food so that they can thrive and look and feel better.
“Our passion is to help cats and dogs with alternative healthy food so that they can thrive and look and feel better.”
What inspired you to start your company?
My husband and I decided not to have children and so Bismark, our mini schnauzer boy, is the child spirit in our house. We got him in 2014 and even took maternity leave to celebrate his new life! But in December 2017, at the age of three and a half, he was diagnosed with genetic heart disease. We were devastated. The prognosis was very poor and according to the vet, the only way to save him was with emergency open heart surgery, at a cost of R45 000! The vet didn’t have any information about healthier diet options, and warned that any squirrel hunting or running on the beach – the two things Bismark loves most – could result in sudden death. We were forced to look at healthier food without any preservatives and started cooking organic, fresh human grade food for him. Within two weeks, he was a healthy happy shiny dog, full of smiles and energy. He just celebrated his 8th birthday and behaves like a two-year-old naughty puppy. His full story is written on our webpage.
Why should anyone use your service or product?
Our passion is to help cats and dogs with alternative healthy food so that they can thrive and look and feel better. We approach this in the same manner as our own human diets: Eat fresh and balanced food and avoid processed food with salt and preservatives. We work with an animal nutritionist and vet and we are in the process of having our food approved by the Agricultural department of South Africa. Dogs require very specific proportions of meat protein, organ meat, vegetables, fruit, herbs, seeds, fresh produce and carbohydrates. All Bismark’s Bistro meals are proportioned as follows and can be custom made:
40% Pure protein whole meat (fish/chicken/venison/pork)
10% Organ meat (heart/kidney/liver)
35% Vegetables (seasonal vegetables)
6% Bulgar wheat
6% Fruit
3% Eggs and shell
The meals are calculated according to the dog's weight and delivered to the clients door around Cape Town. For cats we have a selection of turkey, chicken or fish meals in a mousse or ground consistency as well as healthy liver treats.
“I never thought that a sick dog in the house would be the start of a hobby that turned into a full time business.”
Tell us a little about your team
We are a husband and wife team with several staff members. Adele and Fritz Mans. Fritz got retrenched in December 2018 and decided to work on Bismark's Bistro full time. Bismark, our schnauzer is the actual CEO, so strictly speaking, everyone works for the dog!! We have an amazing team of ladies that does the preparation of all the fresh food, the cooking and packing. We have another team that does cleaning and spring cleaning. Our deliveries are done by our own lady driver. Our suppliers are hand picked and we visit them each week to collect fresh ingredients.
Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And, do you come from an entrepreneurial background?
Adele had a chain of waxing salons, Fast and Furious Waxing Specialists, for 10 years. My entrepreneurial journey has helped a lot in avoiding the same mistakes and has helped Bismark’s Bistro grow quicker as I have avoided some pitfalls. I never thought that a sick dog in the house would be the start of a hobby that turned into a full time business.
What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?
We are constantly building relationships to expand our footprint; we do not supply retail outlets for the reason that we are building our brand as a custom-made eating plan to individual dogs. Clients can order online and we would like to see expanded and sustainable online subscriptions on a regular weekly delivery basis. We are also expanding into the licencing model, where people at home can make the recipes and sell the food at a profit to them. We are making the entrée level very affordable and easy so that anyone with a passion for dogs can create a business from it under our brand. We will provide training and the business can be run from a normal household kitchen, or expanded to a larger scale, depending on the individual’s resources.
“My entrepreneurial journey has helped a lot in avoiding the same mistakes and has helped Bismark’s Bistro grow quicker as I have avoided some pitfalls.”
What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?
Flexible time, we can work at 11 at night or only start at 10 am after a late night of work. We can plan our calendar and be in control of our time schedules.
It is also extremely satisfying to hear of a dog with a sensitive stomach or skin problem, were the owner has almost given up, and then we get feedback that the food is helping and the dog looks healthier and happier.
What's the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?
You should not be thinking about what type of business will make you the most money, and then try and open such a business. Each women sees a specific problem that only they notice and that only they have a unique answer to. Other people probably need what you offer a solution to. Follow your heart and do the type of business that fills your heart with joy and gives you tears in your eyes of inspiration. Only you can have the passion about a specific problem that no one else has. Then have fun with it and the money will follow.
Contact or follow Bismark’s Bistro
WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | EMAIL bismarksbistro@gmail.com
Why LoA loves it…
When you have a passion that you turn into a business, it seems less like going into work each day and more like being driven to keep doing something you love and feel compelled to do for all the right reasons. For Adele Mans, her love of animals and her desire to help pet owners to take the best care of their beloved pets through great food and diets, is the inspiration behind her entrepreneurial journey. That passion brings fulfillment to her own life, and of course, makes a big difference in the lives of her clients and their beloved pets. — Melanie Hawken, founder & ceo, Lionesses of Africa