MUKILTEO — Himalayan Dog Chew, a company that creates dog chew treats from dried yak and cow cheese, is scheduled to appear on ABC’s Shark Tank Friday.
Suman Shrestha said he and others in the company went to an audition in July in Seattle as part of a lark. They were invited for filming in California in September. And then the show sent a camera crew to their Mukilteo business before Christmas.
“They were telling us 40 to 50 percent of the people who go to California don’t even make it to the air,” Shrestha said. “Then we got the call about a week ago that we’re going to appear on TV.”
The reality television show brings entrepreneurs onto their set where they pitch their ideas to celebrity investors. In this episode, the investors are Mark Cuban, Lori Greiner, Daymond John, Robert Herjavec and Kevin O’Leary.
Suman Shrestha said he thought the Shark Tank only wanted to feature businesses that were up-and-coming. Instead, he said the producers told them that wasn’t the case.
“We found out they’re seeking more established companies,” Shrestha said. “They want to see a product that’s proven in the market.”
Himalayan Dog Chew is a rapidly growing business that started in Bellingham. Suman Shrestha owned a Nepalese import business when he met Nishes Shrestha, who fed his dog Kaos the dried yak cheese, a snack people eat in Nepal.
Kaos liked the treat so much they decided to market the dried yak cheese at a dog park. It was so popular that a Bellingham pet business started buying the product.
They incorporated in 2008, added a partner, Suman Shrestha’s brother, Sujan, and eventually moved to Lake Stevens and then to Mukilteo.
They market the yak-and-cow cheese product as an alternative to bone, rubber and rawhide. It’s become popular enough that it’s sold in Petco and hundreds of locations across the country.
The business employs 47 people with sales reaching up to $10 million this year. Himalayan Dog Chew was also named The Herald Business Journal Entrepreneurs of the Year in 2014.
Himalayan Dog Chew also acquired in January a Seatac business that produces a product called Lean Lix, which is a low-calorie dog treat, Suman Shrestha said.
“We’re hoping it’ll fly off the roof this year,” he said.
About the show, Suman Shrestha didn’t want to give away what happened on the set. But he said it was a good way to give exposure to their company and to also tell the story of Nepal to a mass market. He said the employees are excited about the footage that was shot before Christmas.
“Overall it was a really good experience,” Suman Shrestha said. “We got really good feedback from the sharks.”
On television
Mukilteo’s Himalayan Dog Chew is scheduled to be featured on ABC’s Shark Tank at 9* p.m. Friday. Company founders are expected to pitch their dried yak-and-cow cheese dog treats to the show’s celebrity investors.
*Correction: The Shark Tank is scheduled to appear at 9 p.m. tonight. An earlier version of this story gave an incorrect time.
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