‍

Tenneile Crump-Conchie, 18, a student at Hāwera high school, is the brains behind Country Canines - a brand of dehydrated venison strips for dogs.

Last month those strips saw her take home top honours in the Lion Foundation Young Enterprise Scheme's Taranaki Region Awardsat New Plymouth.

"My golden labrador Honey can't eat a lot of the current pet foods as they contain wheat which meant we would have to spend lots of money getting more expensive food," she said.

"So I just wanted to help her and she absolutely loves them."

It wasn't just Honey that loved them. Her Mother's cat Bianca was also fond of them.

"Her cat eats so much of the product it must owe me hundreds," Tenneile joked.

The awards recognise the best Year 12 and 13 pupils from across New Zealand and requires them to form a business plan, come up with a product and sell it.

Crump-Conchie said she couldn't believe it when it was announced she had won the regional competition and would compete for the national title in December.

"It's really overwhelming, I'm really stoked and honoured," she said.

Crump-Conchie started the business in April this year and  sources all the ingredients and makes the strips herself.

"I usually do about three hours a night of cutting up and a majority of my free time goes into it as well," she said.

"I have a contract with a farmer in Waitotara who supplies me with venison and I try to go out hunting when I can."

She said it took 18 hours to do a batch of the strips, that then had to be processed and packaged for sale.

"I sell some online and some at the The Dog Box store in Hāwera and I go to shows around Taranaki as well," she said.

As part of her prize Crump-Conchie won a $1000 scholarship at Massey University and was planning on studying in Palmerston North next year.  

"I want to do a business management degree and possibly a horticulture degree as well."