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June
16
16
Pet Wants: Cincinnati's Own Cinderella Story
There's no doubt about it, our four-legged friends make the world a better place. Their wagging tails and cuddles are the perfect remedy for a long day at the office, and always make coming home that much better. You make sure to feed yourself wholesome foods — doesn't your pet deserve the same treatment?
Pet Wants, which has evolved into one of the most successful pet food brands in the country, is committed to creating foods every month with fresh, wholesome ingredients. And the best part? The foods are delivered straight to your door. How's that for farm to bowl?
Founders Michele Hobbs and Amanda Broughton are so pleased with how far they've come, but it wasn't a walk in the park to get to this point. We spoke to Hobbs about her mission to provide wholesome food to our beloved four-legged friends, and the hardships she faced along the way.
In 2009, Michele Hobbs lost her job in construction sales. She wasn't alone — 2009 was the peak of the greatest recession our country had seen in a long time, and businesses big and small were suffering.
After consulting with her partner Amanda and reviewing their expenditures, the couple was unsure how to make ends meet. At this same time, they were spending a lot on vet bills for their beloved dog, Jackson, who was having health issues. Hobbs suspected that the poor health could be the result of a poor diet over the years. She knew she needed to find healthier dog food, and fast.
But healthy dog food didn't really exist back then, especially in Cincinnati, a town that (at the time) was run by big-name food brands, notorious for loading their products with processed ingredients.
That's when her big idea struck — why not fill this need and build a new career at the same time? Thus, Pet Wants was born.
Opening Pet Wants was a passion project for her (especially after seeing the effect the wholesome food had on Jackson), and probably wouldn't have succeeded without her determination. She remembers friends and family members feeling worried for her, because who would be crazy enough to try and start a new company during the recession? Nonetheless, she scrapped her resources together and decided to start selling wholesome pet food at the nearby Findlay Market. Here she was, fighting against the current in a town loyal to big brands, with a small homemade booth, some dog treats, and a mission to change the way her community saw pet food.
You might recognize the Pet Wants brand. Since its inception in 2010, Pet Wants has expanded to 58 locations around the country with more opening every month. The company sources the best wholesome products to create healthy food that is made fresh monthly. You wouldn't want to eat something that has been sitting on a dusty shelf for months, so why would your dog?
"We source everything from right here in the US, except for the products that don't make sense." says Hobbs. "For instance, we source all of our lamb from New Zealand, because that country has the best lamb available. And all of our salmon comes from Nova Scotia or Chile depending on the time of year."
Pet Wants then delivers this fresh food to your door for the ultimate in convenience, all the while paying the employees a living wage and offering healthcare benefits.
To make the fresh food last, she calculates how much food each dog needs, and delivers monthly rations straight to her customers' door, marking delivery dates and addresses on her calendar. The delivery service is completely free of charge, but pet owners can always visit one of her two cozy storefronts in Cincinnati to stock up on treats or get samples of new kibble flavors.
With her outgoing attitude and perseverance, Hobbs quickly built a loyal customer base, and sold out of the first 1,200 pounds of food she had ordered almost instantly. Pet Wants is so successful now, it's hard to imagine a time when the small, healthy pet food brand was struggling to make ends meet.
It's clear that Michele Hobbs quickly made a splash in Cincinnati with her scrappy attitude and passion for the community, an attitude that is still contagious. Typically when a customer signs up for Pet Wants, they stick with it for life — same with her employees. "You know you've got a great thing going when people stay with you," says Hobbs. "I measure success in loyalty!"
How Pet Wants Got Its Start
In 2009, Michele Hobbs lost her job in construction sales. She wasn't alone — 2009 was the peak of the greatest recession our country had seen in a long time, and businesses big and small were suffering.
After consulting with her partner Amanda and reviewing their expenditures, the couple was unsure how to make ends meet. At this same time, they were spending a lot on vet bills for their beloved dog, Jackson, who was having health issues. Hobbs suspected that the poor health could be the result of a poor diet over the years. She knew she needed to find healthier dog food, and fast.
But healthy dog food didn't really exist back then, especially in Cincinnati, a town that (at the time) was run by big-name food brands, notorious for loading their products with processed ingredients.
That's when her big idea struck — why not fill this need and build a new career at the same time? Thus, Pet Wants was born.
Opening Pet Wants was a passion project for her (especially after seeing the effect the wholesome food had on Jackson), and probably wouldn't have succeeded without her determination. She remembers friends and family members feeling worried for her, because who would be crazy enough to try and start a new company during the recession? Nonetheless, she scrapped her resources together and decided to start selling wholesome pet food at the nearby Findlay Market. Here she was, fighting against the current in a town loyal to big brands, with a small homemade booth, some dog treats, and a mission to change the way her community saw pet food.
The Product
You might recognize the Pet Wants brand. Since its inception in 2010, Pet Wants has expanded to 58 locations around the country with more opening every month. The company sources the best wholesome products to create healthy food that is made fresh monthly. You wouldn't want to eat something that has been sitting on a dusty shelf for months, so why would your dog?
"We source everything from right here in the US, except for the products that don't make sense." says Hobbs. "For instance, we source all of our lamb from New Zealand, because that country has the best lamb available. And all of our salmon comes from Nova Scotia or Chile depending on the time of year."
Pet Wants then delivers this fresh food to your door for the ultimate in convenience, all the while paying the employees a living wage and offering healthcare benefits.
To make the fresh food last, she calculates how much food each dog needs, and delivers monthly rations straight to her customers' door, marking delivery dates and addresses on her calendar. The delivery service is completely free of charge, but pet owners can always visit one of her two cozy storefronts in Cincinnati to stock up on treats or get samples of new kibble flavors.
The Success of Pet Wants
With her outgoing attitude and perseverance, Hobbs quickly built a loyal customer base, and sold out of the first 1,200 pounds of food she had ordered almost instantly. Pet Wants is so successful now, it's hard to imagine a time when the small, healthy pet food brand was struggling to make ends meet.
It's clear that Michele Hobbs quickly made a splash in Cincinnati with her scrappy attitude and passion for the community, an attitude that is still contagious. Typically when a customer signs up for Pet Wants, they stick with it for life — same with her employees. "You know you've got a great thing going when people stay with you," says Hobbs. "I measure success in loyalty!"
Visit Pet Wants for Yourself
Stop by her friendly storefronts to see what this incredible company is really all about, or search the Pet Wants booth out at the Findlay Market — we bet Michele will make a repeat customer out of you. Bone Appetit! All photos courtesy of Pet Wants
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