At the Farmers' Market: Chateau Le Pup

Amanda Akens should have been a physical therapist, or maybe she shouldn't have been.

That's what the 28-year-old went to college for, and she planned to pursue doctoral studies, as well. However, a couple of years ago she got Vanna, a maltese. The breed is known for having sensitive stomachs and skin. Vanna's finicky eating habits changed her owner's direction in life.

"I started the actual company on accident," Akens said. "Instead of buying commercial treats that were full of junk, I wanted to make them for her.

"I found a cookbook for dogs and made a batch of the peanut butter bones. At the time, my dog was less than a pound, and the batch made about 200 bones."

Vanna didn't need 200 bone treats, so she packed them up and took them to a craft show she had been attending. All the treats sold and only one of her floral arrangement. 

"I decided that I really enjoyed making the treats and decided to come up with my own recipes and build a business," Akens said.

Today Akens does everything out of her home, which is in Sugar Hill. She always wanted "to be my own boss," and this way she can do just that. Her family and friends say she's a perfectionist when it comes to her business, Chateau Le Pup.

She attends three current farmers markets, including the one in Snellville on Saturdays. Beginning July 9, Chateau Le Pup will also be at the Lilburn Farmers Market. Initially, Akens said she came to the Snellville Farmers' Market because she wanted people to know about her business.

"I was looking for an inexpensive way to, first, see if people would respond to the company and, second, to get my name out," Akens said. "Snellville Farmers' Market did just that. I feel like my company really grew thank(s) to the market."

In addition to her company, Akens also works at the Ed Isakson Family YMCA in Alpharetta. During the school year, she runs an afterschool program and during the summer, she supervises a summer camp. Still, she loves her pet bakery business, and she sees growing it in the future.

"This is the first job I've had that doesn't feel like work," she added. "I work 10, 12, sometimes 16 hours a day to get ready for shows and markets, but I don't feel like it's a job. 

"I have never worked so hard in my life, but I love it, and this is the first job I can see myself doing for the rest of my life."