The Warrnambool business will celebrate 10 years of manufacturing its do-it-yourself coin-operated dog wash on October 25 with family activities for dog owners, a barbecue and free dog washes.

The once part-time garage enterprise found international success after positive feedback inspired the company to take the product to the world.

With K9000 products now in more than 700 locations, owner-operator Tim Darmanin said it “spins people out” to discover its humble beginnings.

“People look at it and go ‘Wow, has that come out of America or something?, and it’s like, ‘No, actually we make it in a shed in Warrnambool’,” he said.

”People can be proud to use it because it’s a locally-made product.”

Mr Darmanin said the restrictions of operating in Warrnambool were small compared to the perks of country living.

“You’ve got to think outside the box,” he said. 

“There are disadvantages living in Warrnambool but you’ve got to capitalise on the advantages. The fact we’re regional and still country, people recognise that we will deliver on our word. Our customers love that we’re a regional manufacturer.

“Warrnambool is a great town and the thought (of moving) has crossed my mind a few times, but you don’t have to think about it for too long.”

Mr Darmanin said the product, which adopted car wash technology, hadn’t changed dramatically since it was first manufactured in 2005.

“The foundation of this whole business is built on listening and responding to the customers’ needs,” he said.

“We took a measured approach at the start with a lot of research done; we put a prototype in and sat back and watched how it worked.

“Most dogs generally don’t want to be washed. We put a fair bit of thought into making sure the dog was happy, tweaking the product to make it more dog-friendly.

“There’s nothing magic about it – there’s just several little things that have been done right to create something that suits the masses and just works.”