Less than a year ago, Auckland couple Ben and Amy Rennell decided to take on big pet food with a premium, cost effective and sustainably packaged product.
They crafted their dog food product, Feed My FurBaby, from fine, locally sourced ingredients, collaborated to design a more sustainable packaging solution, and kicked off sales via a subscription model that is tailored to the dietary needs of every dog.
If sales growth is any indication, the idea has had lift off. “We’ve seen strong growth – double digit percentage growth month-on-month, and this continues to gather momentum,” Ben Rennell says.
The business model draws on Ben's retail technology and sales background, and Amy's environment management credentials, but the impetus for the business bubbled up following an everyday moment one morning when the busy family of four – five counting Jack the dog – ran out of dog food.
“We were in the middle of getting the kids ready for school, and I had to go to the supermarket to get food, and I thought ‘there has to be a better way’,” Rennell says.
“That was start, the pain point – running out of food. It was a light-bulb moment.
“So we looked at creating a model in which the food just turns up – you don't have to think, and you never run out. And from there we looked at other areas of dysfunction in pet food.”
The pair took a good look at the massive category, and realised that the global pet food industry was having a significant environmental impact due to the large amount of brightly coloured plastic packaging that is predominantly used by the sector.
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