Beer City Dog Biscuits

07/30/2024

Our team is growing‼ We're on the hunt for a part-time Administrative Assistant. Know someone in the greater Grand Rapids, MI area that would be perfect for this role? Tag them in this post or send it their way 🙌 For the full job description, visit beercitydogbiscuits.org/careers.

07/29/2024

We are so proud of our Brew Bakers and love to see them lean into their strengths. One of the many things David is good at is communication, especially when he is sharing about his experience in our kitchen and what Beer City Dog Biscuits means to him‼ 👏 Last week, he was the star of the show as he represented BCDB at the ADA Celebration hosted by Disability Advocates, which celebrated the anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

07/28/2024

🌟🌟 SPOTLIGHT SUNDAY 🌟🌟 We would like you to meet Raymond. We call him Ray. He comes with his Community Living Support person every Wednesday. He works a double shift and we are so thankful and delighted it has worked out for him‼ Ray is such a hard worker, eager to learn, and is always willing to pitch in whenever we ask for extra help 🙌 He loves to wear our merch and he wears it well 😊

Ray lives with his mom, dad, and two dogs 🐶 Megan and 🐶 Emma. He has lived in that same house his whole life. Ray also has an older brother that lives in Holland, MI. He likes a variety of foods such as pizza, vanilla cupcakes, Chinese food, pancakes, potatoes, ice cream, all seafood, and even vegetables. Ray loves all music. He listens to country with his grandma and Rock and Roll with his parents 🎶 He turns the volume up when listening because he likes it LOUD.

Ray enjoys printing pictures from the internet and spends a lot of time sorting them. He loves to play games on his computer. He is a very social guy and loves to talk about his favorite shows and movies. His computer is very important to him, and he spends time searching things he is interested in 💻 He also likes spending time with his grandma. Fun Facts about Ray: He has an amazing memory and remembers places he has been as a BABY. He has over 1000 DVDs (mostly Disney and Power Rangers) and he loves to kill ants.

We asked Ray what he likes to do best at BCDB, and he said, “filling the molds to make dog biscuits”. Our team asked him what he has learned at BCDB and he shared that he has learned to fill molds, to wash and dry baking sheets, and put stickers on the sample bags. Ray, you are a hard worker and fun to have around. Thank you for choosing to come to BCDB! 🌟🌟

07/26/2024

At BCDB, we're not just making treats; we're changing lives 🌟 The mission is simple: Empower adults with disabilities by giving them a space to 🧡 Learn valuable work skills 💬 Connect with the community 💪 See their impact. Join our movement by following our Instagram today!

07/25/2024

That's a whole lot of name tags‼️ We're not just making dog biscuits here at BCDB, we're changing lives ❤

What started as a small tug at our hearts, has transformed into a place where over 300 adults with disabilities come to learn, contribute, be valued for their hard work, and find community.

Thank you for sharing our biscuits with your friends, wearing our apparel, and donating to our mission. You make all of this possible and we're so grateful 🙏

07/23/2024

Merch Drop‼️ NEW tees, long-sleeved shirts, zip-ups, infant onesies, and dog biscuit subscriptions now available in our shop! Plus, spend $50 or more and get FREE SHIPPING ❤ Which is your favorite new item? Tell us in the comments!

07/21/2024

🌟🌟SPOTLIGHT SUNDAY🌟🌟 Say hello to our Brew Baker of the week — Darren‼ He come to us with the Ready For Life work skills program.

Darren is a quiet young man and goes about his business with few words, but none the less is very efficient!! He has tried his hand at many jobs in the BCDB kitchen but prefers filling the molds with the biscuit dough.

Darren lives at home with his mom and dad 🏡 He comes from a big family with two brothers and two sisters, plus several nieces and nephews. In his free time he likes to play on his iPad, listen to music, and especially likes dance class at Arts in Motion Studio 🎶 His favorite music is Gospel and his favorite artist is Michael Jackson. Pizza with mushrooms, sausage, and pepperoni 🍕 is his favorite food.

Darren told us that the skill he learned at BCDB is “how to have fun at work!” Yes, we definitely enjoy having a blast working with you and all our other Brew Bakers 🥰 Darren, thank you for coming to BCDB!!! 🌟🌟

07/20/2024

One of our friends snapped a pic of our dog biscuits at the Pink Pony on Mackinac Island! 🙌 These special pink bags were made specifically for Pink Pony and can only be found there, so make sure you pic up a bag when you visit 🩷🦴🐶

See our biscuits, sprinkles, or even our Biscuit Mobile around town? Take a pic and tag us! 📷

07/16/2024

In every order comes a hand-drawn note from a Brew Baker! We've heard over and over again how these make the day of our customers ❤️ That's when an idea came to us 💡 Let's make notecards so our customers can share this same joy with the ones they love the most.

📪 Visit our website and grab a 12-pack notecard set with illustrations by Mel, Nola, Jae, and Allan today!

07/14/2024

🌟🌟 SPOTLIGHT SUNDAY 🌟🌟 Today we are highlighting Jose, one of our Brew Baker employees‼️ Jose is an expert at making our dog biscuit dough 🦴 He measures and mixes the dough with an expertise that most don’t have. It’s his favorite job!! A lot goes into making the dough, you know ☝️—following our written recipes, measuring the ingredients, and problem solving, since the spent grains from Founders Brewing Co. can have slight differences in texture based on the beer they are brewing. Jose does this all seamlessly and has become quite a master in the kitchen! He is also skilled at cleaning after our work day and takes pride in polishing the stainless steel until he can see his reflection 🤗

Jose is one of four children, two brothers and a sister. In his free time, Jose enjoys playing on the computer, especially the video game Sonic the Hedgehog. He loves pizza 🍕 and listening to heavy metal and rock music. His favorite band is Lincoln Park 🎶

BCDB is proud to have a Brew Baker employee like Jose!! He has shown exceptional leadership and responsibility since he started 👏 He has quiet strength, is never distracted, and doesn’t stop until the job is done, setting a conscientious example to all the other Brew Bakers. Way to go Jose‼️ 🌟🌟

07/12/2024

🚨 We have a new vendor—River Street Dog in downtown Elk Rapids, MI! This fun, colorful store is where all the cool pups go to get their toys, accessories, food, and treats 🐶🦴 We are thrilled to now have Beer City Dog Biscuits available here AND samples available at The Dam Shop at Elk Lake Marina 🚤🌊

Downtown Elk Rapids Association Elk Rapids Marina Elk Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce

07/08/2024

Thank you, Paul Hudson for Congress, for stopping by Beer City Dog Biscuits to learn more about our mission‼ It was a pleasure showing Paul around the kitchen and, as always, our Brew Bakers were proud to share the tasks they've mastered and just how much BCDB means to them ❤️

07/07/2024

🌟🌟 SPOTLIGHT SUNDAY 🌟🌟 We would like to introduce you to a longtime Brew Baker, David. He comes to our kitchen two days a week with supports. He has done all the jobs at Beer City Dog Biscuits, which includes, making dough, filling molds, labeling bags, and weighing and filling the bags. He has also been on the delivery team and delivered product to local retailers 🚚

David lives in Rockford with his mom and dad, Susan and Steve. Susan is a radio programmer and Steve runs a Blues series in downtown Rockford. He also has a sister, Jessica, that is an assistant principle. Another important family member is his 4 year-old rescue pit bull/ lab mix that loves to chase squirrels 🐶 David’s favorite foods are pizza, blueberries, tater tots, caesar salad, greek yogurt, honeycrisp apples, and chocolate milk, to name a few. David loves to listen to music 🎶 His interests vary from Chicago, to Mercy Me, Bruce Hornsby, Marc Cohn, and Lyle Lovett. His favorite band, though, is The Blind Boys of Alabama because they got him through many tough and hard times.

David likes to collect sports cards, especially baseball cards. He likes to draw with colored pencils and play on his PS5. He enjoys watching the Edmonton Oilers 🏒 going to Whitecaps games ⚾️ and GVSU football games 🏈 In his free time, David likes to take walks with his family and friends. He also fits in PT and exercise as much as possible.

Fun facts: David's family hosted Whitecaps players for 20 years and he became close to a few, such as Zach Hess and Jack Anderson who both currently play for the Detroit Tigers. He has also met Michael Jordan 😊

Our team asked David which task that he liked best at BCDB. He said that he really likes selling the biscuits! We were recently at an event and David came to help. He was a natural and beamed every time he was able to share what he has accomplished. David also told us that he has learned leadership skills, good work ethic, and that he has made new friends at BCDB. David, you are a wonderful asset to our Brew Baker Team. You are a super star when it comes to sales. Thank you for working so hard and being a great role model 🌟🌟

07/06/2024

Our goal, with your help, is to donate 2000 bags of dog biscuits to animal shelters and rescues in need and we’re almost there! 🐶🦴

When you purchase a bag of our biscuits to donate, we’ll match your donation 💕 We’ve even discounted the biscuits to just $6/bag!

👉 Donate here through tomorrow, July 7th: https://bit.ly/3XaPx92

Here’s an idea of the impact you can make:
$6 - You donate 1, we donate 1 = 2 bags donated
$12 - You donate 2, we donate 2 = 4 bags donated
$30 - You donate 5, we donate 5 = 10 bags donated
$60 - You donate 10, we donate 10 = 20 bags donated
$102 - You donate 17, we donate 17 = 34 bags donated

Every bag of biscuits donated truly makes a difference! Don’t forget to choose, at checkout, which shelter you’d like to receive our delicious and nutritious dog biscuits.

Please reshare this post and visit the pages below to learn more about the amazing animal shelters here in West Michigan:
Kent County Animal Shelter
Mackenzie's Animal Sanctuary
Saving Souls Pet Alliance Inc.
Humane Society of West Michigan
Pound Buddies
Pet Tales Rescue
Noah Project
Hearts of Hope Dog Rescue
Harbor Humane

07/04/2024

Happy 4th of July from everyone at BCDB 🇺🇸 We are grateful to be in the land of freedom, opportunity, and dreams. We see this reflected in the eyes of our Brew Bakers as they beam while learning a new skill, find purpose in making biscuits, and create connection with other Brew Bakers and volunteers. Thank you, America, for creating a foundation so all of this is possible 🙏

07/02/2024

The animal shelters and rescues here in West Michigan are at capacity and even OVER capacity 🐶 and we set out with a goal to donate 2000 bags of our biscuits with your help‼️ With less than a week left, we're SO close to our goal!

Here's how you can help:
🦴 Purchase a bag of our dog biscuits to donate to an animal shelter of your choice, and we'll match it!
👉 Donate here through July 7th: https://bit.ly/3XaPx92
❤ Share this post on your wall

Below are pictures of just a few of the doggos awaiting their forever homes. Although they are loved dearly by staff and volunteers, they deserve loving families. If you are looking for a furry BFF, please consider adoption. If not, please consider donating some dog treats 🙏 Your donation is truly making the day of a sweet pup.

Kent County Animal Shelter
Mackenzie's Animal Sanctuary
Saving Souls Pet Alliance Inc.
Humane Society of West Michigan
Pound Buddies
Pet Tales Rescue
Noah Project
Hearts of Hope Dog Rescue
Harbor Humane

06/30/2024

🌟🌟 SPOTLIGHT SUNDAY 🌟🌟 We'd like to introduce you to a very special dynamic duo—Hannah and Winnie‼️ They are our Grand Valley State University Master of Science in Occupational Therapy interns 😊

Hannah and Winnie are in the Beer City Dog Biscuits kitchen on Wednesdays. They've made the dog biscuit dough, filled the molds, labeled big bags and sample bags with treats, and have used their interaction and observations with the Brew Bakers to make our workspace even more accessible to all that come into our kitchen! They have built initiatives such as reassessing the different activities around BCDB and breaking them into smaller tasks, assisting in updating of our recipes, creating new visual aids, and updating our name tag system 🙌

When Hannah is not in the kitchen, she enjoys shopping, walking her dog Louie 🐶, spending time with friends and family, and being on the lake 🌊 Speaking of family, she grew up in Commerce, MI, and her brother inspired her to go into OT! She loves listening to country music and her favorite foods are greek salad and chicken noodle soup.

Guess what! Winnie's favorite food is ALSO chicken noodle soup 😁 Winnie is from Farmington Hills and has three sisters that are her forever best friends ❤️ When she's not in the kitchen, you'll find her playing tennis, on the golf course, or reading. She is currently reading The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue 📖 She also likes to work out, cook, and take hikes here in beautiful West Michigan 🥾

We asked both Hannah and Winnie what they liked to do best at BCDB. Hannah said "Filling the molds because I love to socialize with the Brew Bakers". When we asked Winnie, she said, "I love doing special initiatives that promote accessibility, but nothing beats talking to the Brew Bakers!" They both added that they've learned a lot since they've been at BCDB. "I have strengthened my problem solving skills, flexibility, and skills needed to build meaningful relationships" Hannah said. Winnie continued "I've learned how to lead groups and use effective and simple communication strategies."

Thank you, Hannah and Winnie, for all you do for BCDB! We truly are so grateful to have you! You both brighten our day and the days of our Brew Bakers 🌟 Also, a huge thanks to GVSU for having us as a fieldwork site!

06/25/2024

TOMORROW 🐶☕🦴🍸 Dog-friendly happy hour at Sip Coffee & Cocktails from 4-8 p.m.‼️ Grab a bevy for a good cause 🙌 Our handmade dog biscuits will also be available for your furry friends!

15% of all sales from the event will be donated to the BISSELL Pet Foundation, a nonprofit that works to save pets in shelters and rescues through spay/neuter, foster care, microchipping and adoption programs.

Get all the deets on the event here: https://www.facebook.com/share/ef8rDkHHj691EHqM/

06/23/2024

🌟🌟 SPOTLIGHT SUNDAY 🌟🌟 We are pleased to introduce you to Freddy!! What a delight!! 😊 He comes to Beer City Dog Biscuits one morning a week with a MOKA group. Freddy is a hard worker, but needs to occasionally be reminded not to chat with his neighbor so much 😆 He has tried his hand at filling dog biscuit molds, making dough, weighing and filling big bags of biscuits, and writing thank you notes.

Freddy lives with his parents in East Grand Rapids. His brother and sister-in-law live around the corner from him with his two nephews, Sam and Charlie. His other brother lives in Dayton, Ohio. In his free time, Freddy likes to listen to music, as well as, play his ukulele, drums, and guitar 🥁🎸 He really likes sports and enjoys playing basketball, soccer, baseball, bocce ball, bowling, and floor hockey. Freddy’s favorite kind of music is ‘80s . The artists that he likes are Elton John, Billy Joel, Meatloaf, Rolling Stones, and Journey. But occasionally, he will listen to a little Taylor Swift 🪩🥀 Freddy has got quite the extensive palette and loves all different kinds of foods. He likes pizza, meatloaf, hamburgers, french fries, chicken, lasagna, pasta, sushi, and so much more 😋 We asked him to tell us an interesting fact about himself that he would like us to share and he said "I’m very good looking!! I am fun and easy to be around!” Haha, we would agree with that‼️

The staff at BCDB asked Freddy what he liked best about coming to our kitchen. He said “I like mixing the dough because I find it relaxing and it’s fun.” We asked what he has learned while coming to BCDB. His response was “I’ve learned to be friendly and work with others. I also learned to mix the dough. The people are very nice and help direct me to where my help is needed.” Freddy, we are so glad you have chosen to come to BCDB. You always brighten our day ☀️

06/21/2024

If you’ve ever been close to a nonprofit, you know just how meaningful each and every volunteer is to the business. We literally couldn’t do it without you lovely people! 😀 Thank you to the Meijer Food Safety Team for stopping in this week!

Want to get involved? Click the Volunteer tab on our website or, if you have a larger group, email us at [email protected] ❤

06/18/2024

Tune into the latest episode on of The Established Home with Jean Stoffer of Stoffer Home on the Magnolia Network to see our cofounder's carriage house apartment renovation! ✨

Then go rewatch Season 2, Episode 7 😉 In this episode, Jean walks through the Beer City Dog Biscuits kitchen, learning more about our mission to provide vocational training, employment, and community to adults with disabilities through the creation of dog biscuits 💕

06/17/2024

Did you catch us on FOX 17 last week? Michelle Dunaway stopped in for a special visit with our Brew Bakers 💕

Beer City Dog Biscuits continues to grow and thrive as it empowers and employs nearly 300 people with developmental disabilities to make biscuits.

06/16/2024

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY 🌟🌟 Today, we celebrate dads! And boy, do we have some great dads in the pictures below. Not only have they been solid role models, but have always supported and loved their kids for who they are ❤️

A huge thank you to all the father figures that support our business, our Brew Bakers, and our community each and every day. We love you!

Now it's YOUR TURN! Share a picture of who you're celebrating this Father's Day in the comments 👇

06/14/2024

Day 1 picture roundup at the Meijer LPGA Classic‼️ We’ve been having a blast meeting new friends as they visit us at hole 16 ⛳️ Aren’t Etta and Tad rocking our BCDB hats?! I spy a sneak peek of our new merch coming soon on our founders, Suzanne and Leslie 👀 We even had pro golfer Maria Fassi’s cute pup Willis stop by! She has an amazing foundation, Fassi's Friends, whose mission is to create inclusion for kids of ALL abilities and backgrounds to come together to learn and grow the game of golf ♥️ We’ll be here all weekend, so come say hi!

06/12/2024

Sarah‼️ Thank you for choosing us for your spotlight at West Michigan Credit Union 🐶🦴❤️

06/11/2024

Animal shelters and rescues need our help! Now through July 7th, when you purchase a bag of our biscuits to donate, we’ll match your donation. We’ve even discounted the biscuits to just $6/bag! 🐶🦴 Donate here: https://bit.ly/3XaPx92

Thank you for helping the animal shelters in West Michigan 💕 Kent County Animal Shelter, Mackenzie's Animal Sanctuary, Saving Souls Pet Alliance Inc., Humane Society of West Michigan, Pet Tales Rescue, Pound Buddies, Noah Project, Harbor Humane, Hearts of Hope Dog Rescue

06/09/2024

🌟🌟 SPOTLIGHT SUNDAY 🌟🌟 Meet our new Executive Director, Holly‼️ Holly is from Grand Rapids and comes to us with decades of nonprofit experience having worked for the Grand Rapids Public Schools, John Ball Zoo, and the Grand Rapids Symphony 🙌

Since April, she has been immersed in every task around Beer City Dog Biscuits. She has learned everything from our special dog biscuit dough recipe to how to use a bag sealing machine to the ins and outs of our nonprofit. You'll even see her on TV next week talking about BCDB, so keep a lookout for that 👀

Holly now lives in Rockford with her husband Glen, a professor at Ferris State University, children Colin and Evelyn who are both in high school, and one spoiled cat named Kiki. When she’s not at BCDB, Holly enjoys exploring nature trails, boating, and trying new restaurants. Speaking of food, Holly loves butter chicken and burger on the grill in the summertime 😋 ☀️

We are so happy to have Holly and so are our Brew Bakers! They've loved getting to know her while making dog biscuits together 🦴 Help us in giving Holly a warm welcome in the comments! ❤

06/06/2024

Purchase a bag of our dog biscuits to donate to an animal shelter or rescue of your choice, and we'll match it! 🦴🐶❤

👉 Donate here through July 7th: https://bit.ly/3XaPx92

With animal shelters in West Michigan at capacity, your donation is truly making a difference for the doggos awaiting their forever home, so THANK YOU 🙏

Kent County Animal Shelter, Mackenzie's Animal Sanctuary, Saving Souls Pet Alliance Inc., Humane Society of West Michigan, Pound Buddies, Pet Tales Rescue, Noah Project, Hearts of Hope Dog Rescue, Harbor Humane

06/04/2024

We're looking for friends to join our team for the Meijer® LPGA® Classic 5k Walk / Run at the Rockford High School Stadium on Saturday, June 15th! 🏃

There is something special planned for this year’s event—a disability division will kick off the race! That means a group of our amazing Brew Bakers will be the first to cross the start line 🌟

To join our team...
👉 Sign up here: https://runsignup.com/Race/MI/Rockford/LPGA5k
👉 Choose "Beer City Dog Biscuits" when it asks if you want to join a team
👉 Enter the following password: bcdb615

06/02/2024

🌟🌟SPOTLIGHT SUNDAY🌟🌟 Today our spotlight celebrity is Michelle‼️ She is a very hard worker and extremely skilled at all aspects of the business 🤗 She mixes the dough, stuffs the molds, fills the bags, and seals the product! 🦴 One job she really loves to do is sell biscuits at the Fulton Street Market on Fridays. And we have to tell you—she is a wiz at it! She is so skilled at this task that they have been selling out every Friday!

When Michelle is not giving her all to BCDB, she enjoys hanging with her friends. She is a gifted artist and her medium is crocheting and beaded art! 🎨 One of the reasons Michelle loves BCDB is her passion for dogs 🐶 She asks everyone if they have a dog and what their dog's name is 🐾 When she sees you again, she will ask you about your dog 🥰 Michelle is very sweet and kind! We are so proud of you, Michelle!! Keep up the hard work! 🌟🌟