What’s freeze drying and why we chose it for our new Training Treats

We tried to get Curtis to pose with the machine…this is the closest we got!

Have you seen our new 100% Irish Beef Liver Training Treats yet? These yummy chunks of goodness are made of nothing but beef liver. No additives and no fillers. The best thing, nutrients are retained as close to raw liver as possible - something hard to achieve with any other food processing method. And it’s all thanks to freeze drying. 

What exactly is freeze drying?

Freeze drying simply put is a preservation process that removes moisture from food while keeping the food structure and nutrients intact. Unlike traditional drying methods that use heat, freeze drying works by freezing the item first and then reducing the surrounding pressure. This causes the frozen water in the product to sublimate—meaning it turns directly from ice into vapour without passing through the liquid stage.

In simpler terms: instead of melting and evaporating, the ice in the food skips straight to becoming a gas. This unique process is what makes freeze drying so effective.

To give you an idea of how the liver treats are made: we cut fresh Irish beef liver into small pieces and place them on long trays. These trays are then placed in the freeze dryer where the drying process takes place over several days. Once complete, the treats are removed from the freeze dryer and packaged with no additional processing at all. 

This is what the freeze dryer looks like

Why choose freeze drying?

Flavour & nutritional value

Unlike other drying methods that use high heat and degrade vitamins and minerals, freeze drying preserves up to 97% of the original nutrients. So the liver is nutritionally as close to the original raw ingredient as possible. Not only that, freeze drying ensures the flavour is retained as well as the structure. The outcome is a firm treat rather than a chewy one like you would expect from dehydration for example. 

This is what makes our treats high value for your dog. There is nothing but the delicious flavour and texture of 100% Irish beef liver. 

A close-up of the 100% Irish beef liver once it has been freeze dried

No fluff added

Freeze drying allows us to easily work with the beef liver and produce a treat without having to add anything else to it. 

Light and easy to handle 

Liver is a firm favourite in our house and we bet your dogs love it too. But let’s be honest, it’s messy to handle - even cooked. And being honest, we are unlikely to have it with us in a training pouch. 

The freeze drying process removes all the moisture making the liver treat super light weight, firm and there is zero mess.  

In our house these are irresistible to Curtis and Cooper

No preservatives here

Moisture is the main culprit behind spoiled food. So removing it drastically reduces the need for any added chemicals or preservatives. Freeze drying keeps food natural and safe for long-term storage. Of course, there is a best before date added to all packages as well. But you will not find any chemicals in our pack of treats. The same goes for our Training Treats nor our oven baked bites by the way! 

We hope this gave you a better idea of what freeze drying is and why we chose it for our brand new treats.