The inspiration – How it all started
Our family pet Vanilla- a sweet. loving Labrador is the centre of everybody’s attention at home. I have always been very involved and particular with her diet since I was a kid. The curiosity fuelled the idea of doing the same for others’ pets too and that is when I started studying Canine Nutrition and experimenting at home. After almost 1.5 years of experiments and study, Fresh For Paws came into being in June 2018.
But before FFP kicked off, I enrolled in the Company Secretary’s course post my graduation from Delhi University. However, after clearing the Executive level, I decided I didn’t want to wait any longer and started my own venture. I chose to get into a new and unfamiliar space purely because of my passion for dogs and pet care. I received a lot of positive feedback and support from my family to pursue what I loved doing, that I have received, I have been able to make my dream a reality.
Covid -19 interestingly impacted my business in a more positive way as p[et parents, while working from home started learning and providing healthier food to their pets. Plus I also got a chance to add to my knowledge by doing multiple Pet nutrition and psychology courses from Universities in Canada and USA.
**Fresh For *Paws*
While doing groundwork for my pet food venture I researched intensely the existing Pet Food industry scenario in India. The Indian pet food market is projected to register a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 13.5% during the forecast period (2021-2026). The concept of owning pets and taking care of them is a very urban phenomenon in India. Therefore the growth of the market is mainly dependent on the pace of urbanization. Infrastructural changes of the past two decades signal a very positive and rapid movement here. With growing income, urbanization, and increasing health awareness, pet owners are shifting to premium and natural foods that are free of genetically modified organisms, artificial colors, and flavors and aid in promoting the good health of pets.
It took a lot of research and development to come up with the recipes and final products acceptable to the market. Creating awareness was the first step in creating space in this sector as Fresh For Paws was among the first to introduce new technology and food in the market. Sustaining a business in a new space is not easy but the key to doing so is to keep innovating and creating awareness in the market about your brand.
One of the biggest challenges faced at the time of inception was to select the best technology for Pet Food Packaging. We undertook trials in different technologies and finally succeeded with the best results in RETORT, Ready to Eat packaging. However, Ready to Eat was a relatively new term in the pet industry at that time. even though we had a first mover advantage, we had to work hard to create awareness with our customers and hence create demand. I had a direct one-to-one interaction with all my customers and vendors to explain the concept and recipes and how they worked for the pets’ well-being.
I entered the market with no network or contacts. I was an Outsider in the industry. With a lot of efforts to approach the right vendors and pet parents I have been able to maintain good relationships and ensured my company has grown. . It took a lot of hard sales via offline and online promotions done by me to explain, convince and also create visibility for my product line. Initially, some major vendors failed to cooperate and even had a pessimistic attitude. It was a challenge to get them to deliver what I needed be it boxes, printing, design, and even retailers to showcase my products.
*Overcoming challenges*
One of the major challenges was to compete with big brands dominating the market at that time. I had to create a lot of awareness for pet parents and vendors to get them out of their comfort zone.I was involved in all the ground-level activities.I not only focused on selling the products but on pet healthcare on the whole. Another challenge was that big players give bigger margins which brands like us cannot afford when we start. I personally met all vendors to create a level of confidence in the product and agree to our terms.
I learned that one should be willing to take risks and trust their gut to change the way of the business when you are launching a new product in a competitive market. Having no experience in the field I learnt a lot myself while being on the job.
* The Future *
Having created a pan India market for our products in three years’ time, we are now targeting exports to USA, UK, UAE, and other countries beginning in 2022. Our products have already been approved by overseas customers. We have an in-hand order for our most popular product – Peanut Butter from the UK.
We will soon be launching subscription boxes catering to the specific needs of pets and pet parents. Being a Certified Pet Nutritionist, product development is a constant endeavor and I want to explore products specific to the needs of pets. My vision is to create a strong portfolio offering a complete range by pioneering innovative, natural, healthy products that even the most sensitive pets across the globe can enjoy. Reshape the way we think about dog food & treats.
