Key takeaways

Look for unusual but well targeted trade shows to launch your product. Rachelle Tapara is taking her premium My Raw Pet meal kits to food shows in Auckland and Wellington, aiming at a foodie audience of dog owners.

Brick and mortar stores can still be a good idea for products like My Raw Pet where customers can come in with their dogs and be educated about the meals.

As the pet dog becomes more like a treasured member of the family these days, a pet food industry entrepreneur has seen a gap in the market and launched My Raw Pet a new home delivery subscription service of raw nutritious meals for dogs.

These nutritionally balanced meals of protein - raw beef, lamb, fish and soon, chicken - plus fruit and vegetables - have been put together by the brand’s own companion animal nutritionist.

“There’s a real combination of protein blocks, we’ve got tripe, organs and chunks of meat and fish as well as bone broth powder, “ says My Raw Pet founder, Rachelle Tapara.

The entrepreneur, who also owns the NRG Plus supplements and freeze dried pet food brand, is so confident about the quality of the My Raw Pet meal kits that she plans to promote them at the big food shows in Auckland and Wellington this year.

“People who attend these shows are very engaged about food,” says Rachelle, who is the proud owner of French bulldog, Mojo. So it makes sense they’ll be engaged about their dogs’ food too, she says.

The cost of the seven My Raw Pet meal kits, pre-packed and vacuum packed, will range from $40 to $80 per week, depending on the weight of the animal, and Rachelle has given a 30% off offer on the first order.

At the moment the product is in the North Island only but it will become nationwide.

From paddock to plate

The entrepreneur says she has been working on the product and business model for almost a year, starting last February and launching in early January.

My Raw Pet is based in Ōakura in Taranaki and has an MPI-certified-for-export factory there.

“It took a lot longer for us to get our factory going than we expected,” says Rachelle.

Meat and vegetables are sourced from as close to the factory as possible. Tegel is just down the road as is the fish processor, and they try and source local fruit and vegetables when they can, she says.

Researching the market before launch

The entrepreneur did her market research before launching the premium pet food brand. Rachelle and her family have been in the pet food industry for over 10 years, and she surveyed her NRG Plus customers as she developed the product.

The new brand is entering a fairly competitive market, says Rachelle. One of My Raw Pet’s points of difference is it has an in-house animal nutritionist, she says.

“Where we saw the gap in the market was people wanted to feed their dogs with a clean raw meat diet with less processing. They wanted it raw but didn’t know how to do it. And they didn’t have time to get all the components together to make it a balanced meal,” explains Rachelle.

Taking the brand to bricks and mortar stores

My Raw Pet, which has eight employees and three directors, will open stores for the brand where pet owners can bring their dogs in to taste the various meals.

“They will be like fun, interactive stores where people can bring their dog in to try different treats - a try before you buy opportunity,“ says Rachelle, who is planning her flagship store in New Plymouth.

In the coming months, other types of protein meals will be introduced including wallaby, goat and venison. Meal kits for cats will also be coming this year from My Raw Pet, says the entrepreneur.

For the full article go here on Stuff.

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Taranaki entrepreneur launches My Raw Pet home delivery service