Poppy’s Picnic’s meteoric rise in the raw pet food market since their appearance on BBC 2’s Dragons’ Den where the two co founders, Dylan Watkins and Louise Mackintosh were offered four investment opportunities from the Dragons, has been rewarded at the Wiltshire Business Awards where they won the Business Start-up of the Year category.

They were also a finalist in the Outstanding Excellence Award category.

The Wiltshire Business Awards are organised by Newsquest and were held this year at Centre Parks in Longleat. They celebrate the achievements of Wiltshire businesses across the county both large and small as well as unsung heroes.

Since turning down all the investment opportunities from the Dragons including a £60,000 investment from Deborah Meaden, Poppy’s Picnic has successfully raised £600,000 through crowd funding and this will be used to develop further recipes including a new range for cats and  also to fund ambitious plans for the business.

Co founders of Poppy’s Picnic,   Dylan Watkins and Louise Mackintosh  believe that simplicity or RAWPLICITY as they call it,  is the key to their success as sales of their recipes for dogs continue to soar.

“RAWPLICITY is behind everything that we do at Poppy’s Picnic. From producing recipes that include the best quality and recognisable ingredients, to creating innovative products that help dog owners with portion sizes, feeding our food is fun and easy,” says Co founder Dylan Watkins.

“ Our tasty COMPLETE Meatballs, available in packs of 12x30g  Chicken, Beef or Lamb varieties, are proving to be very popular with dog owners and are unique to Poppy’s Picnic. They are particularly great for feeding small breeds of dogs and prevent food waste. Simply defrost and serve.

“At Poppy’s Picnic we have created food to cover all ages and types of dog. Our core COMPLETE range, which comes as mince and meatballs, is perfect for active dogs. Available in a wide choice of meat varieties, the recipes also include offal, seasonal vegetables (which include carrots, parsnips, swede, butternut squash and cabbage) ground bone,  Parsley (for fresh breath)  Wheatgrass, spirulina and sea kelp powders, Coconut oil and Flaxseed oil. The recipes contain the right balance of vitamins, minerals, amino acids and omega oils to keep your dog in tip top shape.

“Our ENHANCED mince is ideal for the modern pet and contains ingredients to give your dog that added oomph!  With ingredients such as camomile & milk thistle for digestion, celery & hemp seeds for joint care and echinacea & turmeric for protection – by feeding this biologically appropriate ENHANCED food you are giving your best friend optimised nutrition for a wholesome, healthy life.  We also have an EXPERT range of foods with a special purpose, like our Weaning Paste and Puppy Follow On Paste. Our BITES range includes air dried raw treats and bones.

“Our food is hand made by a fourth generation Wiltshire butcher and only includes the best human grade British ingredients. We want every cat and dog in the UK, and beyond, to have access to the best quality raw meals - the closest to what they would eat in the wild. It is our ultimate aim to make the raw food diet fun, easier and more convenient for pet owners to follow in order to encourage more people to start feeding their pets in this way,” concludes Dylan.

Poppy’s Picnic has built an impressive team of experts around their brand including leading holistic vet Nick Thompson and nutritionist Moddie Lambert who have both been influential in promoting the raw diet in the UK. Poppy’s Picnic has also recruited the help of other leading marketers who have worked on some of the leading global pet food brands on the market.

For further information on the product range or if you are interested in becoming a stockist, please contact Poppy’s Picnic. Tel: 01380 716 599 email: woof@poppyspicnic.co.uk or visit the website: www.poppyspicnic.co.uk