An Irish company called PARK LiFE aims to take the UK treats market by storm with its natural ‘guilt-free’ products.

The new business, based in the centre of Ireland in the town of Athlone, is set to exhibit at PATS Sandown on March 27-28, where it hopes to entice UK retailers to stock its range.

The treats are already proving popular in Jollyes stores in Ireland, and owner Richard Marles is confident the brand’s products will fly-off the shelves of other retail outlets.

The range includes frisbee-shaped biscuits, heart-shaped cookies and star-shaped treats, as well long-lasting chews made with human quality milk protein.

Here, Richard recalls how he started the business and why he believes his treats could become bestsellers in pet stores and garden centres across the UK and Ireland.

What was the inspiration behind setting up PARK LiFE?

Like many pet start-ups, the inspiration behind the brand came from becoming a ‘pet parent’. The lightbulb moment happened when my wife and I went away and left our  golden lab Penny with in-laws for the weekend. When we returned, Penny was bloated and appeared in discomfort from what she’d been eating. The cause of her discomfort was a major brand of dog biscuits. Upon reading the label, I remember feeling shocked by the long list of vague ingredients, and that’s when I thought: “We can make something far better than this.”  

There UK dog population has grown +28% from 9m pre-pandemic to 12.5m in 2021, equating to one in three British homes owning a dog. The dog treat and mixer market in the UK is worth €581m and since the pandemic there has been a steady increase, driven by a rise in dog ownership and the trends towards premiumisation and the ‘humanisation’ of pets. Three in four dog owners now see their pet as a part of the family. This presented us with a massive opportunity to meet growing market demand.

Who works in the business?

Since 2021 I’ve been working in the business full time. My wife Elizabeth is a great support and helps whenever she can. Our son is two-years-old, and we have baby #2 on the way so I love the thought of creating a business that could be handed down through generations. The star employee is Penny, who’s the CEO (Chief Eating Officer).

What did you do before setting up the business?

I’ve held several commercial FMCG marketing roles over the past 10-plus years, in brands such as Kellogg’s, Cadbury and Lindt, but most recently as head of marketing for Keogh’s Crisps, Ireland’s most loved hand-cooked crisp. 

Who comes up with the recipes for your treats?

Recipe development is done in-house. We get a lot of our inspiration from other categories, such as ‘human’ biscuits and the baby-food aisle. 

Do you bake the treats yourself?

Initially, all of our product development was done in our kitchen at home. I love to cook, but I was terrible at baking, so it was a steep learning curve. My wife was the one doing most of the baking, but together we developed a recipe that the dogs love, is allergen free and most importantly, is made with a few simple store-cupboard ingredients. 

How did you first get the treats to market?

After developing the recipe, I set my sights on finding a commercial bakery that could bake the biscuits at scale. I knew I needed this to be mass-produced to keep the costs to an acceptable level while allowing us to scale-up fast. But as an unproven start-up, there weren’t many bakeries willing to take a punt on us and the ones that were, in our eyes either were not up to the quality standards. So, with a brand concept and a recipe in hand, I flew to Germany to an international trade show and met with over a dozen biscuit manufacturers before I met one that could produce a quality biscuit, at scale, with MOQs within budget.  

When did Jollyes start stocking them and how did you feel when you did the deal?

Jollyes began to stock the Milk Bone range mid last year and early this year introduced the dog biscuit range. It’s amazing to be launching in such a well-established retail partner as Jollyes, in such an exciting moment in their store expansion plans. We can’t thank the Jollyes’ commercial and marketing team enough for seeing the potential in the PARK LiFE brand.  

Are most of your sales are currently in Ireland?

To date, it’s an even split between Ireland and the UK, but over time I expect the UK to become the bigger driver for our business.

What’s your bestselling product?

Our Large Chicken Milk Bone is currently our bestseller. Chicken is and always will be a popular flavour and with the huge rise in the trend toward Yak and Milk-based chews, our range is perfectly positioned to cater for those pet parents who want a long-lasting chew, but who don’t want to feed them animal bones, or raw-hide chews. When the biscuits hit the shelves, we expect Fris-Bix to be our number one seller. 

Do you hope to extend your distribution by exhibiting at PATS Sandown?

PATS will be our first in-person trade show and nothing beats meeting people face-to-face and being able to touch and feel a product. We’re confident that PATS Sandown will help drive our distribution growth in the UK, through meeting likeminded retail chain buyers, independent pet store owners, as well as new wholesale and distribution partners alike. We can’t wait to get the brand out there in person.

Is it true your packing is recyclable?

Yes, it’s true, all of our packaging is 100% recyclable. 

Tell us a bit about your branding.

All of our brand development is done in-house, and our design/artwork is done by our agency in Northern Ireland, Kaizen Brand Evolution. The brand name PARK LiFE took over six months to develop. I knew I wanted to develop a name that could stretch into any dog care category, whether it was treats, food, toys, or accessories. I also knew that I didn’t want to go down the cliché route of naming the brand after our dog/dogs, or to create a dog-related pun. When you rule out these two angles, it doesn’t leave you with many options. The idea came on a walk in Raheny Park, in Dublin. There were dozens of dogs chasing each other around the park, living their best life, and that’s when it clicked. 

What’s your ultimate goal with PARK LiFE?

My vision for PARK LiFE is to become the most loved brand of treats among pet parents and their fur-babies. In 10 years’ time, I’d love for PARK LiFE to be a household name on UK and Irish shelves and further afield.

For more information visit https://parklife.dog. PARK LiFE is exhibiting on stand S7 at PATS Sandown, which takes place on March 27-28. To register for free entry to PATS Sandown visit www.patshow.co.uk.