Peanut butter? Check. Dough mixed in the 60-quart commercial mixer? Check. Locally sourced eggs, donated craft beer grains and a no-junk promise? Triple check. At Brewhaus Bakery and Dog Bones in Cincinnati, every batch of dog treats begins with care—from premium, all-natural ingredients to a purpose-driven workspace where employees with disabilities find pride in every biscuit.
What started as Lisa Graham’s mission to create a future for her daughter Natalie has become a joyful, small-batch operation fueled by teamwork, music and the comforting scent of low-and-slow baked bones. Whether shaping dough by hand, running the extruder for wholesale jobs or packaging and boxing up website orders, this is more than baking, it’s community-building.
“Having a child with a disability reoriented my world,” Graham shares. “I had to think about a future that didn’t involve college or other related choices after high school.”
Though Graham had long envisioned a social enterprise that would open doors, not just for Natalie, but also for others like her, a casual stop for pizza at a San Diego brewery in 2013 gave the dream its shape when they discovered dog treats made from craft beer.
“As a lifelong animal lover and momma to many dogs, it was a perfect blend of interests. Our family’s full of cooks and bakers. We’re always in the kitchen,” she explains, “so all the variables came together.”
Graham comes from a clinical research background. To bring the vision to life, she reached out to local breweries to explore partnerships and source ingredients.
“Positive feedback from all sources gave us the green light. Plus, we live in Cincinnati, the heart of beer culture!” Graham says.
The nonprofit now partners with numerous local breweries for spent brewing grains, including Streetside, Paradise, Sonder, Brink, Nine Giant, Braxton, Alexandria, Little Miami and Rhinegeist.
Brewhaus bakes dog bones for allGraeter’s Ice Cream locations, Double Dogs restaurants, Jungle Jim’s and Party Source.
“We also have national accounts with Cigar City Brewing, Lagunitas Brewing and BrewDog USA,” she adds.
Of all those partners, one stands out.
“We private label for [Graeter’s], and our growth has been a direct result of this amazing relationship,” she says.
Graham’s vision soon evolved into a brick-and-mortar employment and vocational training program for students with disabilities—working closely with local school systems like Butler Tech, Mason and Sycamore—to provide a unique, project-based learning platform.
“Our partners can schedule time to bring students to work in a commercial bakery setting, build employable skills and work on communication and collaboration,” says Graham.
It’s a hands-on environment where bakers follow recipes, operate a point-of-sale system, process transactions and interact directly with customers.
“Every stage creates learning opportunities in our unique start-to-finish business model,” Graham continues.
Today, each Brewhaus employee is a former student baker—earning at least Ohio’s minimum wage while continuing to grow in a supportive, purpose-filled atmosphere.
But employees don’t just learn life skills, they also get regular emotional support visits from Graham’s family dogs.
“Dogs are both entertaining and comforting for many of our bakers,” she says. “We once had a blind, deaf student who was completely captivated by them, and they seemed equally drawn to him—it was especially heartwarming. The dogs love getting samples and hanging out with the crew too!”
Looking ahead, Graham dreams of launching Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky’s first doggy food truck—a mobile treat station for festivals, parties and pop-ups.
In the meantime, you can support the nonprofit by picking up treats at local breweries and retailers. Monetary donations and team-building events offer another way to get involved, plus, check to see if your employer offers donation matches.
Brewhaus Bakery & Dog Bones | 1623 Burney Lane, Cincinnati | BrewhausDogBones.com
“At Brewhaus Bakery, every batch of dog treats begins with care.”