When Adrian Wilkinson set up FourFriends Pet Foods in the UK he had no intention of running a pet food business but six years later, this former Health and Safety expert from the glass industry is now a successful distributor of a Swedish-based premium pet food brand and loves every minute of what he does.
As with a lot of successful pet food entrepreneurs, it was the needs of his own dog that led Adrian to the pet food that he now distributes. “It’s all Annie’s fault,” says Adrian.
He continues: “Annie is a Dogs Trust girl and is an Otterhound, Welsh Fox Hound cross. She came to us as a two-year-old and was allergic to nearly everything you could think of. A friend then suggested adding Aloe Vera juice to her food. We did this and slowly over the weeks and months her health condition improved. Then by chance we met somebody from the manufactures of the FourFriends brand at a dog event being held in Germany.
"The seeds were set to find out more about this pet food which contains Aloe Vera. A few months later off we go to Sweden. Three days later we return to the UK with the distribution rights and the journey began. Annie is now nearly ten years old and along with our other hounds devours her Wild Boar food end enjoys a healthy albeit mischievous life.”
The FourFriends range is synonymous with quality ingredients. Only the muscular parts of the chicken, gently dried to meat meal are used in the dry complete food range. Up to 92% of the total amount of protein in both the dry and wet food ranges comes from animal origin. The range uses chicken, lamb, duck, wild boar and turkey - and in some products, a combination of them.
A well known botanical plant,, Aloe Vera is a key ingredient in FourFriends complete food recipes. Used for centuries around the world, Aloe Vera is crammed full of amino acids, vitamins and minerals making it one of nature’s most effective cleansers. It is especially effective in the cleansing of the dog’s or cat’s intestine. It is also great as an anti-inflammatory. Being rich in minerals like calcium, magnesium, zinc, selenium and potassium it is excellent for the skin and coat.
Many dogs and cats have an intolerance to vegetable protein, or gluten as it is known when it comes from cereals. FourFriends is completely free from gluten. All cat foods and treats are also grain free. Derma Coat, Lamb, Wild Boar & Turkey dog foods are grain-free - only potato is used as a source of carbohydrate.
FourFriends has recently launched a new range of pet supplements. Adrian says: “With a growing awareness about the health and wellness of their pets, owners are looking to switch to pet supplements. The amount of calls we receive asking for impartial advice has lead us to introduce our new range of supplements. With dog owners, the majority of enquiries relate to joint support and with cats it is nearly always urinary health and our favourite subject, hairballs.”
The new range includes joints supplements for small, medium and large dogs, a skin and coat supplement for dogs and a multivitamin supplement for dogs For cats there is a hairball supplement and a urinary tract health supplement. All come in resealable pouches.
All FourFriends products are manufactured in accordance with Formula Security Scandinavia, guaranteeing the quality of each product. Customers also have access to excellent advice from FourFriends own pet nutritionist, Meri Hakkarainen in Sweden.
FourFriends are currently looking to increase their number of stockists and are also looking to expand their breeder offering. Already popular with cat show breeders, FourFriends want to expand their dog breeder base as well. FourFriends are interested in talking to stockists who want to sell a quality premium dry and wet food brand in the UK. Being an Otterhound enthusiast, Adrian also wants to work with the top dog breeders and show dog owners in the UK as well as cat fanciers.
Adrian concludes: “At FourFriends we have genuine interest in animal health both in Sweden and here in the United Kingdom. We know what's best for your animal! The idea of FourFriends is to make a food that makes your cat and dog healthy, strong and radiant - from the inside out because we know that stomach and health go hand in hand.
"We only use high quality raw materials and there is no ingredient in the recipes that is unnecessary such as fillers. Dogs and cats are carnivorous animals, ie carnivores and we have taken that into account and have a lot of muscle meat in our recipes. Because we love all cats and dogs, we add Aloe Vera – a natural ingredient that is kind to your pet.”
For further information visit: www.fourfriendspetfoods.co.uk. If you are interested in becoming a stockist, please phone Adrian Wilkinson on Tel: 01302 637377 or email adrain@fourfriendspetfoods.co.uk
