Exploring Life & Business with Whitney Persek of Dapper Darling

Today we’d like to introduce you to Whitney Persek.  

Hi Whitney, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
Hi. Thank you so much for including me in your magazine. I’ve been riding horses for as long as I can remember. My dad bought me an appaloosa pony named Blue Cheese when I was 5 years old, and ever since then, I’ve been a horse girl. In 2018, my husband and I, our 2 kids (at the time), and 2 dogs moved abroad to New Zealand. I started a blog called The Dapper Darling to document our family’s story, living as American expats turned “kiwis.” Living in New Zealand had an amazing impact on our family and forever changed us. Not only did we have a baby while living in New Zealand, but the experience changed our perspective on how we wanted to live our lives.

After returning to California in 2021, my husband and I decided to look for a home where our children could run barefoot, where the dogs could have free roam play, where we could grow our own food, have animals, and of course, so we could have horses. We found our home in March of 2022, and quickly after, our farm grew and grew. I’ve always been creative in the kitchen and decided to start making my own horse treats after I saw the the ingredient lists in store bought treats. I knew I could make a healthier treat. I gifted them to friends and neighbors who loved the idea that they were gluten-free and made with real fruits and vegetables. A friend shared them with a local equestrian business who fell in love with them. She asked if she could carry some in her store and that’s what really helped my business take off.  I make a lot of silly videos on instagram, which helped people discover the horse treats. I have sold mostly through social media, but once my product started being carried in multiple stores, I knew it was time to expand the business into something more formal and professional. My husband helped me open our Etsy shop last month, and it’s been really fun to be able to work with him creatively on a business together.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Wow. Where to begin. It definitely has not been smooth road to get here. There were and still are struggles. Having never started a business before, I didn’t really know what I was doing. I knew I liked creating and make these treats but I didn’t know the ins-and-outs of launching a business. It was difficult first starting out and figuring out the recipes. I played a lot with different types of gluten-free flours, finding the right balance of moisture from fruits and vegetables to dry ratios from the flours and oats. I really wanted to make a healthy treat that still tasted good and held its shape. There was a lot of trial and error, but luckily, my horses, donkeys, dogs, and goats didn’t mind sampling the treats that didn’t work out. I remember I made this one treat that had a great consistency, but the combination of flavors was not pleasing, and my horses let me know right away. I also go the extra step of checking with USEF to make sure that each ingredient is allowed through them prior to making anything. It’s an extra step that I feel is necessary because I want riders to feel comfortable treating their horses without the fear of getting eliminated due to an ingredient. Another struggle for me personally is comparing myself to other companies. In any business that you are in, comparisons are going to happen. I just know I am confident in the treat that I am making and know that it I am providing a treat that uses the best, high quality ingredients so that my customer can feel good about what they are feeding their horse.

I have been very lucky with how the business has grown in a short amount of time. We moved to a small horse community who have all been very welcoming and supportive of my business. I am very thoughtful with how I create each item. I’ve worked in retail for most of my life, and I think that aspect has helped me with talking with customers and business. I am a very hard-working and proactive person and don’t mind putting myself out there. I did a lot of “cold calling” and went to other small businesses to see if they would be interested in carrying my items, worked at farmers’ markets, and did pop-ups. I am in a very niche category, but once I got the name out there and people liked the treats, that is what truly helped my business grow. It was by word of mouth and customer relations. I think it’s all about not being afraid to be turned down or hear “no.” I have found that if you truly believe in your product, people will believe in you and want to support you.

With that being said, the hardest part for me has been having enough time in the day while also being a full-time, stay-at-home mom of three kids and taking care of our family farm. I want to be present for every part of my life and am working on how best to balance my time while running a business, especially as the business grows. I am grateful for each day that I get to do this. I am truly blessed to have a husband who wants to support me and see me achieve my goals. I wouldn’t be able to do this without him.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Dapper Darling is known for our high-quality, small batch, gluten-free, low sugar, USEF-approved ingredient horse treats, and equestrian lifestyle brand. Each treat is hand-crafted and made in small batches with an assortment of flavors, from peppermint, apple, peanut butter, carrot, coconut, strawberry and more. I try to use organic items when I can and use real fruits and vegetables to sweeten the treats. I do have some indulgent treats that have sprinkles and frosting, but the base of the treat stays the same. We have branched out a bit to some lifestyle items and started making logo t-shirts, hats, sweatshirts, organic fly sprays, logo market totes, logo embroidered tea towels, pillows, mugs, chapstick and so much more. What sets our business apart is my love for animals. I am living my dream of living on a farm with animals all around me. When I create a treat, I am thinking of the best quality ingredients I can use to ensure you feel good about what you are feeding you horse. We have a unique drying technique which helps create a long-lasting shelf life, that our items are gluten-free for our celiac customers, low in sugar, handcrafted, that each item is made-to-order and can be customized for your horse.

From a brand perspective, both the name and logo have special meaning. I created the logo, which is a D-bit snaffle with flowers in the center. The “Dapper” and the “Darling” represent my children (The ‘Dapper’ being my son and the ‘Darling’ being my daughters), and the flowers in the center of the horse bit represent us growing together as a family. I feel like there is something for everyone. Even if you aren’t an equestrian, you can still celebrate your love for horses and the lifestyle with Dapper Darling

How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
One of the best ways others could help support by business would be for other businesses to place wholesale orders to sell my product in their store. It’s all about getting the name Dapper Darling out to as many new customers. I would love if I could get more equestrians to my Etsy page to purchase products for their horses as well as for themselves. The best way to reach me is through Instagram or email. I do a lot of my business through my Instagram page. Even just a simple like, tag, or share of my Instagram page helps support my business. I love supporting other businesses so anyone reading this, please feel free to reach out for a collaboration.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/DapperDarlingEquine?ref=seller-platform-mcnav
• Instagram: @the.dapper.darling