Brother of the future Queen sells doggy food
THE Duchess of Cambridge’s brother loves his dogs so much he has now set up a business dedicated to their welfare. James Middleton, who looks after nine dogs, has founded Ella & Co, a happiness and wellbeing company for canines — and I can reveal that his first product is a new type of pet food.
Middleton has previously credited his furry friends with playing a ‘vital role’ in helping him get out of depression — and also helping him find love. His spaniel, Ella, bounded over to Alizee Thevenet, a French financial expert who went on to become his fiancee.
Now to return the favour, James has spent a year developing yummy canine grub in consultation with vets and nutritionists.
‘The food category is “FreezeDried Raw”,’ he tells me. ‘This means it’s raw food, as it hasn’t been cooked (which removes natural nutrients), but it doesn’t have to be kept in the freezer. It’s room temperature stable so it’s very convenient.
‘The best thing you can do for your dog is feed them the best possible diet,’ he adds. ‘Dry and canned food just lack natural nutrients and are highly processed. Raw feeding is fantastic, but it’s a hassle keeping it frozen and defrosting every day.
‘Freeze drying takes the best of both worlds; it has the benefit of being raw, but the convenience of a dry kibble you can just scoop and serve. All of my dogs love the food and helped in the development of the recipes.’
‘It’s available online at ella.co with a subscription, meaning we will keep you topped up with food without having to go to the shops.’
The ingredients include chicken (including heart and livers), cranberries, carrots and fish oil.
‘Dogs give us so much, and feeding them the healthiest diet is the best way to give back to them,’ adds Middleton. ‘So, for the price of a coffee, you can feed them humangrade ingredients with all the meat sourced from UK farms delivered to your door and no need for freezing, defrosting or excess packaging.’
Middleton is launching the business with a 25 pc off trial offer.
This is not the first business he has set up, of course. Middleton founded Boomf in 2013, which sells personalised marshmallows and greeting cards.