Two Irish pet companies - Seahorse Atlantic and Soopa Pets - are sharing ideas, contacts and resources to grow their businesses into household names.

And judging by their joint initiative of exhibiting together at PATS Harrogate they are on the road to success.

Seahorse Atlantic produces a range of products called Kelp Care – 100% natural kelp feed additives formulated from different species of seaweed grown in the purest of the Atlantic Ocean. Veterinary trialled and recommended with 100% positive feedback, Kelp Care products are tailored to the nutrient requirements of individual animals.

Meanwhile, Soopa Pets has quickly become known for its 100% fruit and vegetable dog chews with flavours including papaya, sweet potato and coconut.

This week the women behind the companies - Sarah O'Sullivan (Seahorse Atlantic) and Barbara Hanly (Soopa Pets) - reveal how they are helping each other out...

Was it difficult to logistically plan your trip?

Barbara: I guess the main consideration for us was transport, do we fly or drive over via ferry? In the end, after weighing up the pros and cons of each, we decided to fly to Bradford Leeds. The flight was less than an hour and we didn’t have any problem getting a taxi. From there we arrived at the venue within half an hour. It was a great relief not to fly into a big city with lots of traffic and delays.

Sarah: It was my first time exhibiting in the UK but it was not that much different to organising for a trade show in Ireland. The most difficult part was getting stock over and to make sure I had enough of everything as our company is based in Ireland.

Did all your exhibition material and product arrive safely ?

Sarah: Unfortunately because of flight times and difficulty with contact, some boxes got misplaced and ended up with delayed delivery to my stand. I have learned from this and have a better plan for next time!

Barbara: I actually brought everything I needed on board my flight including fold-up display table, roll-up banner and stock! It did cost a little extra to book excess luggage but the peace of mind more than made up for it.

How did you two first meet?

Sarah: I first came into contact with Barbara when I was initially setting up my business. A really helpful and encouraging contact in Enterprise Ireland called Garrett Dee introduced her to me. Garrett has a strong link in the pet food sector and he straight away could see a synergy developing between us which I am very grateful for.

Barbara: Yes, Garrett has been a great support to both Sarah and I and is always happy to listen and help where he can.

Was it easy to share a stand at PATS – weren't there any conflicts of interest?

Barbara: Sharing the stand with Sarah worked really well because our products share the same natural and nutritious values and compliment each other well. People love variety so with two businesses present and with a wider range of products available in one stand it created more interest. Sharing the stand also significantly cut costs which was a huge benefit, especially as we are both starting out. 

Sarah: It was very useful to share a stand as we could plan the logistics of getting there together along with sharing the cost considering we are both early stage companies. Whilst we aim at the same market, our products do not conflict and they work quite well in creating almost an ideal healthy diet for dogs.

When one of you left the stand did the other try to sell the benefits of both sets of product?

Sarah: We each took turns to get around to customers and other trade stands and as we both have the healthy natural canine knowledge we had the skills to sell the benefits of each product. One could say we were a "Soopa Seahorse" team for PATS.

Barbara: It was easy for me to sell the health benefits of both products in Sarah’s absence because I use Seahorse Atlantic on my own dog so I know the product well.  We share the same market but our products couldn’t be more different. This enables us to share our knowledge without stepping on each other’s toes. It can be a long two days so it was great to be able to take a break and network with well established brand owners and newbie’s like us.

What did you achieve at PATS?

Sarah: Seahorse Atlantic achieved some really good leads both in Ireland, UK and countries further abroad. PATS created a platform for Kelp Care to be showcased to retailers and wholesalers whilst also being able to meet with the founder and the ability to learn more about the science behind the product. I also met with some other early start companies where we discussed possibilities of working together in the future to grow our companies.

Barbara: It’s been great to meet influential people in the industry and I’m glad to say it really has helped promote the Soopa brand further.

Did you feel it was worth all the effort?

Sarah: It was definitely worthwhile for Seahorse Atlantic Ltd and Kelp Care as it formed a platform in one place to meet with potential new markets, retailers and wholesalers. Kelp Care is a product that involves some education and explanation of the science behind the formula and PATS provided an ideal opportunity to showcase this.

Barbara: I definitely feel it was worth the effort and we’re delighted to receive highly commended product in new product display from the judges for our range of Soopa chews.  The interest we have received from UK and overseas buyers since entering the new product display was worth all the effort alone.

Will you again be exhibiting again at future trade shows?

Barbara: Yes Soopa and Seahorse Atlantic will be joining forces again for London Vet Show in November.

Would you come over to PATS again?

Sarah: Seahorse Atlantic would definitiely love to exhibit at PATS again and hopefully this time next year, we will have new products to add to our Kelp Care range.


For more information visit www.soopapets.com and www.seahorseatlantic.ie