Sales go through the ‘woof’ for pet food business
A fast expanding Perthshire pet food company has generated £3.5 million from private investors.
Bella and Duke’s ambitious plans to extend its reach in the UK pet food market have escaped the fall-out from the COVID-19 virus.
The Perth distribution centre currently supplies 11 million fresh meals a year to customers seeing their dogs benefit from a raw, natural diet.
The business was founded four years ago in Blairgowrie by Big County entrepreneurs Mark Scott and Tony Ottley, who had both lost beloved family pets to terminal illness.
They were convinced an alternative to mass-marketed processed pet foods would have benefited the health of their dogs.
And that belief provided the launchpad for the business, which attracted £1m private sector funding in 2017.
Measures designed to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus crisis have given priority status to the wellbeing of staff, while safeguarding the production and distribution network.
“We are turning out around 11m meals a year from the Perth distribution centre which only opened last year,” explained CEO Mark.
“We now have 45,000 dogs on our database and demand has been spiralling.
“The measures we have taken over the last few weeks were designed to ensure we can continue to meet that demand.
“Looking ahead, we are committed to our mission of getting raw pet food into the mainstream.
“This latest round of investment from venture capitalists Mobeus, with additional support and a show of faith from several of our initial private backers, will allow us to expand our horizons.
“Mobeus targets its support at small to medium enterprises with strong potential for growth.
“We have our sights set on moving into the cat food market and driving Bella and Duke sales across the country.”
The business now employs nearly 40 members of staff at a customer service base in Blairgowrie and a 10,000 square foot distribution centre on Perth’s North Muirton industrial estate.
The Bella and Duke recipe for success is based on securing fine fresh produce for its additivefree, nutritional range of dog foods, which are blended in the company’s own kitchen and frozen within 30 minutes for delivery to the customer’s door.
“We consult regularly with ground-breaking scientists and vets, scrutinise the clinical feedback and listen to our customers,” said Mark.
“We know our meals are making a huge contribution in helping dogs achieve optimum health and pet owners share that belief, with 91 per cent of those surveyed confirming they noticed an improvement in the health of their dogs within eight weeks of changing their diet.
“We are set to deliver 105 per cent year-on-year growth and the latest round of investment will allow us to press ahead with our plans for phased growth, expand our freezer capacity and extend our range of raw food meals.”