Who owns honest kitchen dog food

To further its ongoing commitment to animal welfare, transparent ingredient sourcing and sustainability, human-grade pet food pioneer, The Honest Kitchen, announces the launch of products that have been certified by Global Animal Partnership (G.A.P.), one of the largest and most comprehensive animal welfare food labeling programs in North America.

To continue its legacy of raising the bar on ingredient quality in pet foods and move closer towards its Better Chicken Commitment goal, the following G.A.P. certified products from Honest Kitchen are now available: Dehydrated Grain Free Chicken for Dogs, Dehydrated Whole Grain Chicken for Dogs, Dehydrated Limited Ingredient Chicken for Dogs and Chicken & Cranberry Parmesan Pecks (treats for dogs).

Animal welfare is a longstanding pillar of The Honest Kitchen's values and has grown increasingly important to consumers as the demand for responsibly sourced,  transparent pet food options continues to rise. In fact, 92% of all pet owners (especially dog owners) are interested in learning more about where ingredients for their pet's food are sourced.

G.A.P.'s comprehensive standards are developed to allow for continuous improvement in farm animal welfare. The program's species-specific standards reflect the latest research in agricultural science combined with achievable, practical application for improved welfare for the entire life of the animal. Accredited third-party certifiers audit every single farm every 15 months to ensure compliance with G.A.P. standards.

"The compassionate treatment of farm animals has always been incredibly important to us at The Honest Kitchen," said The Honest Kitchen's Founder & Chief Integrity Officer, Lucy Postins. "We believe we can do more to further formalize and cement our commitment to chicken welfare, which first began with the transition to free range chicken in our dehydrated diets, over a decade ago. That's why we're committing to source only from farmers that have earned Global Animal Partnership Animal Welfare Certification, for all our chicken-based dehydrated recipes for dogs and Parmesan Pecks."

"In recent years, there has been a huge leap forward in terms of animal welfare-minded pet products. We know that people who care about their pets care about animals overall," said Diane McDade, business development manager for G.A.P. "Just as there are so many choices in what we feed the human members of our family, companies like The Honest Kitchen are giving similar options to pet owners for what we feed our four-legged family members, and we are thrilled to partner with them to support farms that are committed to animal welfare."

The Honest Kitchen launched the world's first human-grade food for dogs in 2002, ultimately creating an entirely new category of pet foods that meet human food quality and safety standards to provide pets with the best possible nutrition. In 2009, the company moved to free-range chicken in all their dehydrated recipes, and in 2021, formally made the Better Chicken Commitment.

With over 170 offerings, pet owners can shop via Amazon and Chewy, as well as over 6,000 retail locations, including independent pet supply stores and Petco, Pet Supplies Plus, and various health food stores such as Sprouts and select Whole Foods. For more information, please visit www.thehonestkitchen.com. 

Page 2

The Honest Kitchen was ranked in the 2016 Entrepreneur 360™, our annual list of the best entrepreneurial companies in the U.S. Founder and CEO Lucy Postins will make an appearance on a panel at the Entrepreneur 360™ Conference.

The original interview by Matt McCue appears in the November 2016 issue of Entrepreneur. Subscribe now.

Company: The Honest Kitchen makes dog and cat food with high-quality, human-food ingredients (like coconut, spinach, and quinoa).

Impact: In 14 years, the company has grown to 49 employees, and it’s on track to double its revenue inside of two years, from $20 million in 2014 to a projected $40 million in 2016.

How did you decide there was a market for high-quality pet food?
My dog was suffering from chronic ear infections, and I was spending a fortune at the vet on steroids and antibiotics that never brought a true cure. So I researched and started making my own food for him. It cured his earaches—and made a huge mess in my kitchen. That led to the idea of dehydrated food, to still feed him healthy foods without the mess. I had a background in the conventional pet food industry, and I was aware of some of the unsavory things that go into good old-fashioned pet food, so I began to think about how to make my product different. Human-grade pet food was the most obvious way.

To clarify, “human grade” means food fit for human consumption and produced in a facility that makes human food?
Correct. The Honest Kitchen is the only nationally recognized kitchen allowed by the FDA to say “human grade” on the product label. We literally taste every single ingredient we use.

How’s revenue growth?
We’re growing, on average, 35 percent to 45 percent a year. Last year our revenue was $30 million, and this year our goal is $40 million.

Have you always been profitable?
My husband lent me $7,000 to get started, and we remortgaged our home several times to finance the company in the early years. That forced us to be profitable. When we got more formal banking relationships, they had covenants about being profitable. But then when we brought on investors in 2011, we were able to spend like drunken sailors—no, not really. That investment allowed us to focus on our top-line growth. Now we’re starting to turn around toward profitability again.

How have you been able to achieve a 30 percent year-over-year revenue growth rate 14 years in?
We’ve hired a new chief marketing officer who came to us from a sports-and-outdoor-equipment background, and he helped elevate how we think about marketing. We put in a huge investment in our marketing campaigns, how they live both at the store level and have a social component. We recently did one that drove people to stores to take pictures with their pets in a photo booth and sample our products at the same time.

When you’re already in about 4,500 retail stores, where do you go next?
There are between 10,000 and 12,000 pet food and pet supply stores in the U.S. and Canada that would be potential candidates for our product. Some of them are on the lower end of the spectrum—more grocery-level standard—so it will take them some time to catch up with what we are offering.

You’ve turned down the chance to be in PetSmart and Petco. Why?
Our product takes a bit of explaining, so we rely on the specialty pet store owner, manager, or well-trained employee to do it. I don’t think the environment you find in a typical PetSmart or Petco store, which is generally staffed by teenage kids who don’t care what you walk out with, is a good home for my brand.

Interested in applying for the 2017 Entrepreneur 360™ List? Click Here.

• Kale Was a Garnish Before This Creative Genius Made It Famous. Here's How She Did It — and What She's Planning Next.

• Telling Your Brand Story Is Crucial. 4 Steps to Ensure That It Resonates.

• This Baker Was Told Not to Speak Spanish With Colleagues, So She Started Her Own Cake Company That Values Employees Just as Much as Customers

• Improving Yourself Takes 9.6 Minutes of Work Each Day

• Meet the Women Behind Some of McDonald's Most Iconic (and Essential) Ingredients — and How They're Setting New Standards

• Remote Work Shouldn't Be Up for Debate

• Employees Are Over Foosball Tables and Free Snacks. Your Company Culture Needs This Instead.