This article was published in the January 2024 issue of Pet Food Processing. Read this and other articles from this issue on our January digital edition.
Seven years ago, Jacqueline Taylor and Amber Cordero saw a gap in the pet food market for high-quality, nutritious pet food that looked good, tasted great, and contained an easily accessible ingredient list. pet parents understand.
“We literally set out to create a brand that we would be happy to have in our own kitchens and would be happy to feed to our own fur babies,” said Cordero. “Our goal is to offer products that help empower pet parents, like us, to feed their pets better.”
After recognizing a void in the market, the two women — Taylor, a New Zealander, and Cordero, a New Zealand transplant originally from California — began sourcing local ingredients, developing a diet of dog and cat and treat formulations, find a contract manufacturer. to produce their products, and develop their new women-owned brand — The New Zealand Natural Pet Food Co.
New Zealand Natural Pet Food Co. offers dog and cat food products. of limited ingredients, complete and balanced formulas.
|Photo by The New Zealand Natural Pet Food Co.
“We all know that what we put in our bodies determines how we feel and how we live our lives,” the company explains on its website. “We are very careful about what we eat, making sure our food is nutritious and nutritious so we always feel our best, so why shouldn’t our animals be the same? After all, they are an important part of the family.”
Niu Niu dogs, Roco and Homie, and Cali the cat, are the company’s official taste testers.
“Once we give them approval, we know we can share our delicious food with your best friend,” Cordero said.
Keep it simple
When they started their company, one of Taylor and Cordero’s complaints about the pet food products on the market was that many of the products offered did not have enough nutritious ingredients. New Zealand Natural’s mission is to keep their products nutritious through a combination of high-quality proteins, secondary ingredients that offer essential nutrients, and vitamins and minerals essential for a complete-and- balanced diet.
“Our species-appropriate diet is based on what your carnivore would get in the wild,” according to New Zealand Natural. “Our dog food has over 90% meat, organs and bones and our cat food has over 97% meat, organs and bones. Just what your pet needs.”
Taylor and Cordero also keep the names of their product lines simple — the dog food and treats line is called WOOF and the cat products are called MEOW. Each package features pictures of the raw ingredients on the front, with additional information about added ingredients on the back. The packages also note that the products are free from gluten, grains, corn, soy and wheat.
“We try to formulate our recipes so that they include everything your pet needs to thrive and don’t include anything they don’t — like fillers, gluten, grains, etc.,” says Cordero.
The brand’s cat product line, called MEOW, features single-protein as well as meat and seafood flavors, including lamb and king salmon, chicken and king salmon, lamb and hoki, and beef and hoki.
|Photo by The New Zealand Natural Pet Food Co.
Most of the brand’s ingredients are sourced from New Zealand, along with its wide range of proteins. WOOF products include chicken, lamb, duck, beef, wild brushtail (possum), wild venison and wild goat, and the MEOW line includes lamb, chicken, duck, beef, wild venison, wild brushtail ( possum), king salmon and hockey.
“We offer unique ingredients like our Wild range, which includes the likes of wild goat, wild venison and wild brushtail – all sustainably caught in New Zealand,” says Cordero.
Additional superfoods are added to recipes to deliver additional nutrients. Manuka honey, produced by New Zealand bees, is rich in vitamins A, B-complex, C, D, E and K. It also contains calcium, magnesium, potassium, manganese and copper. Green lipped mussels, also from New Zealand, are high in chondroitin and glucosamine to support joint mobility and rich in Omega 3s. Hoki liver oil is the most easily digestible source of Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids to support skin and skin health, as well as being a good source of vitamins A and D, according to the company. Hoki is sourced from a Marine Stewardship Council certified fishery in New Zealand.
In addition to the superfood ingredients, the products are made with other fruits and vegetables, all selected to deliver essential nutrients and flavor. Fruit ingredients include apples, blueberries, coconut, cranberries and goji berries. Vegetables and herbs include basil, bok choy, broccoli, caraway seeds, carrots, cinnamon, fennel seeds, flaxseed, kale, kelp, parsley, rosemary, shitake mushrooms, turmeric and wheat grass.
“Ninety-seven percent of our ingredients are sourced in New Zealand,” said Amber Cordero, co-founder of The New Zealand Natural Pet Food Co.
“Ninety-seven percent of our ingredients come from New Zealand,” Cordero said. “This includes our protein as well as most of our fruits and vegetables. Some of our supplements and vitamins are sourced offshore. For example, we don’t grow coconuts in New Zealand, so we source those on an organic coconut farm in Sri Lanka.”
Friendly processing
In addition to keeping the ingredients simple, Taylor and Cordero set out to keep the product preparation simple as well. The two chose to process their products as freeze-dried and air-dried formulations.
“We combine the nutrition and flavor of fresh, raw food and put it through a gentle freeze-drying process that protects all the natural enzymes and nutrients, so none of the beneficial goodness is cooked away,” Lamb said.
Freeze drying also allows the product to be shelf stable. Formulas are designed to be rehydrated with water before serving. Animals can also eat it dry, but since the water has been removed, it is important for pet parents to provide additional water to meet their needs.
“Freeze dried is a fantastic product because it allows the pet owner to feed their animal as close as possible to fresh raw but without the hassle of doing it themselves or having to make sure their serving is complete and balanced,” Cordero said. “It’s the convenience of kibble, but with the nutrition of raw food.
WOOF dog food and treats have seven different types of protein – chicken, lamb, beef, duck, wild venison, wild goat and wild brushtail (possum) – all sourced from New Zealand.
|Photo by The New Zealand Natural Pet Food Co.
“For pet parents looking for an option that’s closer to kibble in texture — and offers a kill step — we offer our new range of gently dried foods and treats that are perfect because they can be fed without that needs to be rehydrated,” he added.
New Zealand Natural offers seven WOOF and seven MEOW freeze-dried flavors; three WOOF and three MEOW air-dry flavors; and five WOOF and five MEOW treat varieties.
The dog food comes in three different sizes — a small treat/travel pack, perfect for on-the-go feeding or for trying new flavors, and two larger 9.9-oz and 2.2-lb sizes. Cat food comes in treat size packages and larger 9.9-oz packages.
“We also offer a variety of limited-ingredient dishes, many of which are single-ingredient, that are also perfect to use as a topper, mixer, or simply an add-on when you’re creating a better bowl,” Lamb said.
WOOF and MEOW single-ingredient treats include wild goat, green lipped mussel and venison lung. Other limited ingredient treats include lamb green tripe and green lipped mussel, and beef green tripe and green lipped mussel. The treats are perfect to use for training or as treats, according to the company.
New Zealand Natural products are formulated to be complete and balanced diets for dogs and cats at all life stages.
“Our dried food and feed is perfect for older and younger animals that may need a softer nugget – especially when it’s rehydrated,” says Cordero. “And, many people really enjoy feeding our dried food and treats when training their pets or using them as toppers or mixers.”
New Zealand and beyond
All New Zealand Natural products are made in small batches in New Zealand. The company works with contract manufacturers to produce its proprietary recipes, as well as freeze-dry, air-dry and package all formulas.
“It’s the convenience of kibble, but with the nutrition of raw food,” says Amber Cordero, co-founder of The New Zealand Natural Pet Food Co.
Products have a 24-month shelf life from the time the batch is made until the package is opened. Nitrogen flush technology is used during packaging to ensure freshness in each bag of food. A nitrogen flush reduces oxidation inside the bag, ensuring the product tastes fresh when the package is opened.
Once the bag is opened, there is a three month recommended use by date. After the product is rehydrated, it can be kept in the refrigerator for up to three days.
When the brand was launched seven years ago, the company initially targeted New Zealand and Singapore.
“We sold out within the first two weeks, so we knew we wanted something then,” Cordero said. “In New Zealand, we first launched in veterinary channels (veterinary clinics, etc.) and even worked with local vets to develop our range of treatments. We then made the decision to expand into specialty pet channels.”
WOOF and MEOW products are now sold in pet specialty stores throughout New Zealand, Australia, China, Hong Kong, the Philippines, the United States and Canada.
“They are [pet specialty stores] understand the importance of feeding pets the best possible food and are willing to take the time to help educate customers,” said Cordero.
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