Since appearing on BBC 2’s  Dragons’ Den in January 2018, Poppy’s Picnic has continued to explode on to the UK pet food market with its range of raw food recipes for dogs.

Having turned down investment opportunities from four of the Dragons on the popular hit TV show, including a £60K investment from Dragon, Deborah Meaden, founders of Poppy’s Picnic, Dylan Watkins and Louise Mackintosh have gone on to smash their own crowdfunding target of £350,000 by raising nearly £600,000 in investment.

This will be used to develop more recipes (including a new range for cats) and will help to fund their ambitious expansion plans for the business.

Both Dylan and Louise have given up successful careers in advertising and marketing where they worked on some of the world’s leading global brands to concentrate fully on running Poppy’s Picnic.

Dylan, who is convinced that something big is about to happen in the raw pet food market, actually came across the diet by chance when he wanted to lose weight and improve his own fitness and wellbeing. This led him to think about the food that he was feeding his pet miniature schnauzers, Poppy and her two offspring, Katie and Slipper.

Horrified by some of the ingredients that he found in processed commercial dry foods, he set about making his own recipes from his kitchen using meat from his local Wilshire butcher combined with fresh vegetables. When a neighbour started to notice the improvement in the condition of Dylan’s dogs, this sparked an idea for a business and Poppy’s Picnic was born.

Dylan and Louise have been able to bring their own creative flair to the raw food market. Having spent a considerable amount of time and investment on market research they have managed to develop a brand which is both innovative and distinctive and sets it apart from the competition. With its distinctive pink packaging, quality ingredients and recipes handmade in Wiltshire by a fourth generation butcher, Poppy’s Picnic is a brand which is fun, vibrant and full of personality with a cartoon style.

Commenting on the aims of the business, Dylan said: “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 while our ENHANCED mince is ideal for the modern pet. We also have an EXPERT range of foods with a special purpose, like our Puppy Follow On Paste. Our BITES range includes air dried raw treats and bones.

“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”

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.

Plans for the future include further investment in digital marketing and PR campaigns for the brand, a major retail and trade launch campaign, investment in larger premises and further expansion overseas having successfully launched Poppy’s Picnic in Hong Kong where it is already in pet shops and supermarkets.

For further information contact Poppy’s Picnic. Tel: 01380 716 599 email: woof@poppyspicnic.co.uk or visit the website: www.poppyspicnic.co.uk