Two childhood friends from Yorkshire are ready to take on the giants of the pet food industry with their new and innovative products.

Daniel Eha and Mathew Cockroft are already achieving success with their company Pure Pet Food, selling their products online and achieving orders from as far afield as Scotland and Somerset. And now award-winning natural pet shop Scampers in Cambridgeshire has agreed to stock the company's food.

To find out why the two friends are attempting to make their fame and fortune in the pet food industry, Pet Trade Xtra spoke to Daniel (pictured above right with Mat) about their plans.


What are your backgrounds?

I studied psychology at Newcastle before beginning to work towards a doctorate in clinical psychology at a nearby hospital. I soon realised that working 9 until 5 wasn’t for me. I returned home to start my first business with childhood friend Mat, who was a personal trainer at that time. Using Mat’s qualifications in nutrition and human health, our first business was in the nutritional supplement industry, championing healthy eating. We then started a marketing business which has been successful enough over the last few years to enable us to embark on our latest venture – Pure Pet Food.

Why did you choose the pet food market?

We grew up together on a small farm in Yorkshire, lucky enough to be brought up on the fresh fruit and vegetables our families produced. Having dogs ourselves made us look at the pet industry and the foods that were available. It made no sense to us that a highly-processed food, containing low quality ingredients, manufactured into small biscuits and fed each and every day could possibly be ideal. Why should our pets be exempt from getting a minimally processed and varied diet, made from quality ingredients, just like humans do?

What method do you use to produce the food?

Pure makes natural dehydrated, human quality pet food. The main difference with Pure is that our foods are produced using a process called dehydration. This means we avoid the harsh cooking procedures involved in making the wet and dry dog foods currently available to owners. We make Pure from 100% human quality ingredients, becoming the first pet food company in the UK whose manufacturing facility is regulated by the human, rather than animal food authorities. As dog owners are becoming more educated about what is actually in commercial foods, and how they are made, many are turning to feed low processed, raw and home cooked meals, using high quality ingredients. Pure takes away the inconvenience, health risks and costs that raw feeding and home cooking can bring, whilst providing a healthier alternative to those feeding one of the current commercial options.

How and when did the business start out?

We initially started making the recipes in my kitchen, with a small dehydration machine we saved up to buy. We had friends and family pets try out the foods, which went down a storm. We then worked together with some of the UK’s leading pet nutritionists to further hone our original recipes to ensure they were complete and balanced meals suitable for dogs of all age, breed and size. We were also lucky enough to receive funding through the European Union Innovation fund, which helped launch our online store, that opened at the end of March this year.

Why did you choose Sampers to sell your products in store?

We were approached by Piers Smart at Scampers, who we connected with on Twitter, shortly after the launch of our online store. We were amazed at his enthusiasm for our products and the help he has given since. His introductions to other retailers and guidance bringing Pure to retail has been invaluable. We were delighted to find someone who shares our vision of independent British manufacturers and pet specialist retailers supporting one another to offer a variety of healthy and natural options to owners. We see our products as perfectly suited to pet specialist retail – the education and advice they can provide is essential. Owners simply don't get that when shopping online or in the supermarket and we feel it's vital in making the right choice for your pet.

Do you produce the food or is it outsourced?

We produce all of our foods at our human grade facility based just outside our hometown of Halifax. The control that gives us to be able to deliver the highest quality product to our customers and retailers was a must for us. Although it is a lot of extra work and expense, we think it's an important part of the process and wouldn’t have it any other way.

Is it correct that you've already picked up awards for your products?

We received two awards for both innovation and business growth through the European Union and our local council. We have just been announced as one of the finalist in Shell's Grand Ideas Awards, again for innovation in business. I was also lucky enough to be invited to be guest speaker at the National Youth Enterprise awards in Westminster, where I spoke to the finalists on the importance of innovation in bringing a product to market.

What are your goals and ambitions?

Our first ambition is for pet lovers all over the UK to be able to feed a Pure food diet to their pets. After that we see huge export opportunities across Europe, and then the world. We get our inspiration from other British businesses such as King of Shaves, who faced very similar challenges to Pure, going up against the giants of the shaving industry. Hopefully, we can have similar success by providing an innovative alternative to the options currently out there.

For more information visit www.purepetfood.co.uk