ELLSWORTH — A local couple who are manufacturing the country’s first Fair Trade certified dog biscuits have expanded to the Bucksport Heritage Business Park.

Chris Roberts and his partner Renee Johnson have been overwhelmed with orders since opening Barkwheats in 2007.

Barkwheats grain-free dog biscuits are in over 400 stores across the United States and more pet food distributors are interested in the product.

The couple have secured a business loan for several pieces of equipment, which will allow the biscuits to be produced and packaged much faster.

But, Barkwheats is seeking help from the community to purchase a dough moulder, which stamps the dough into biscuit shapes. The moulder takes 90 seconds to do what takes Roberts an hour.

Barkwheats is using the fund-raising website www.kickstarter.com to raise $25,000, which is nearly half of the machine’s cost. The time limit they have set is 90 days. The Barkwheats campaign ends Aug. 8.

Roberts explains that kickstarter is an online campaign that helps people reach their goals through many people donating small amounts of money.

The www.kickstarter.com staff must approve the projects and acts only as a fund-raising platform. There are rules: an entrepreneur must set a fund-raising goal and a time limit. If the goal isn’t reached by that time, donations are returned.

Entrepreneurs raising funding on www.kickstarter.com create benefit levels for donors. Barkwheats has created reward levels for pledges ranging from $10 to $7,500.

The $10 reward is your name on a thank you list on the Barkwheats website and an invitation to an open house this summer.

The reward — just one available — for a pledge of $7,500 is your dog featured as a Folk Dog on the packaging for the next flavor of Barkwheats. The reward includes a framed print of a 16-by-20 painting of your dog by artist Abby McMillen.

More information is available by going to www.barkwheats.com and clicking on a headline to the right of the page “Barkwheats Is Growing And We Need Your Help!”

Barkwheats, whose main ingredient is buckwheat, uses all Maine ingredients except for ginger, which is purchased from a farmer in Belize.

“We’re really supporting small scale farmers who raise organic and diverse crops,” said Johnson.

Barkwheats is the only pet product to carry Fair Trade certification. Roberts explained that those seeking Fair Trade certification must satisfy a list of environmental, labor and developmental standards, including pricing so that participating farmers are fairly compensated for their work.

The pet trade isn’t familiar with what being a Fair Trade product entails, so Roberts says he has become their “go-to guy” for answers.

The new equipment will allow Barkwheats to work faster, lower its cost and hire employees so that Roberts can focus on further growing the business.

While a Fair Trade dog biscuit is more expensive than a mass-market biscuit, Johnson says their sector of the market has been growing despite the economy. People are making conscious decisions about how they’re spending their money, she said.

For more business news, pick up a copy of The Ellsworth American.