When Bryan Delforce's springer spaniel Lulu was a puppy, he saw a gap in the market for dog beds that are actually as tough as they claim.
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He bought one of the most expensive beds on the market and it just didn't cut it; but it sparked an idea.
Mr Delforce decided to make his own, and before he knew it he was making pet beds for his friends and family, then selling his product at the Maitland markets.
Almost seven years on, his business Rover Pet Products is nearly outgrowing its Rutherford warehouse and the demand for these quality dog beds has never been higher.
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Born and bred in Maitland, Mr Delforce said his favourite things about it are the great places to eat (like the RIGBY) and that it still feels like a small town.
He also loves that he gets to support local workers in his warehouse, and is very passionate about Australian manufacturing.
"Everyone needs a job, fundamentally that's it," he said.
"We have ladies out there sewing and they wouldn't have a job if it wasn't for Australian manufacturing. At the end of the day it's about retaining skills and experience in Australia and being able to make things, I think it's very important."
Recently, he had unique 'genuinely Australian made & owned' tags made for his dog beds because he has noticed some loopholes in the traditional Australian made classification, which he doesn't agree with.
Mr Delforce said this loophole means manufacturers can take foam and a cover from overseas, put them together in Australia and legally call it Australian made.
Rover Pet Products social media accounts have gathered a decent following over the past seven years, with 37,000 likes on Facebook and 26,000 on Instagram, but Mr Delforce said it hasn't happened over night.
In the early days he would be cutting dog bed foam by hand one minute, and making a Facebook post the next. "I don't know if it blew up, I think it's been more of a slow burn," he said.
"It's a lot of hard work, the first thing I'll do when I wake up is check our social media and it's the last thing I'll do before I go to bed."
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