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Kannapolis brewery going to the dogs

Spent grain from Old Armor Beer Company in Kannapolis, NC is made into dog treats at neighboring Eat Cakes Bakery.

KANNAPOLIS, N.C. — Ever since Eat Cakes Bakery opened in Kannapolis in 2021, it's built a customer following for its sweet treats. That includes the canine customers as well. The shop's dog biscuits and pup cakes sell out every day.  

On the days Old Armor Beer Company brews, part of their waste goes to the bakery to make a special dog treat. Once a week Stefan Perrine, the head brewer, scoops up roughly five gallons of spent grain and walks a block down to Donna Taylor, the owner of the bakery.

"I think his aunt makes some [dog treats] and he sent me a recipe so we did it. And it worked!" Taylor recalled.

Perrine said it's all about not wasting anything.

"We don't really want to waste anything. We want to keep our carbon footprint as small as possible. And I think that's kind of the brewery philosophy along with our personal beliefs," Perrine, who is also the co-owner of the brewery, said. 

The Kannapolis partnership is more than a mere coincidence in the revitalized West Avenue District.

"It's all these other businesses that would help each other. So we're all strategically put in here," Perrine said. "I like that Donna is able to use it and put it back out in the community. And you can go down there and buy dog treats or pretzels or whatever she decides to use it today."

Taylor couldn't agree more.

"I love it that everybody on the street and Kannapolis works together," Taylor said. ."So that's the way we're all going to grow."

Contact Jane Monreal at jmonreal@wcnc.com and follow her on FacebookTwitter and Instagram.

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