The Small Batch Origin Story: Integrity, Intention & Incredible Transformations

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It's time for Pets Who Thrive Radio with Tammy King.
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Pets Who Thrive Radio covers all areas of animal health
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and well-being to help you raise and keep a healthy pet.
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Tammy is a certified animal nature path with a passion
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for all animals and empowers pet owners with the latest
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tools and insight to ensure the healthiest version of your
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amazing pets. So, let's get into it.
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Hi everyone. I am so excited about our guest that
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we have on today. Her name is Diana Vogel and
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she is the founder of Small Batch Pets. And if
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anybody knows this brand, one of the things that stands
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out to me the most is the integrity of this company.
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So we have the honor.
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Today to be able to find out a lot more
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about this brand from the one that actually made this
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dream come true. So Diana, thank you so much for
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being here today.
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Thank you for having me, Tammy. I'm really happy that
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we connected. And yeah, and thank you for supporting Small
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Batch in such a huge way that you have for
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so many years. I know. Oh my goodness. Absolutely.
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Yes, yes. That's kind of what What makes it so
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wonderful because it makes it come to life when you
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have people that have that belief in it and they
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can help other people, you know, with their dogs and
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cats and the dog that wouldn't eat. And all of
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a sudden they're scarfing.
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Up their food.
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You know, there's so many things.
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Yes, yes.
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So if you could take us back to how did
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the company get started?
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Yeah, that will be hard to shorten and tighten up
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in the hour that we have together, but I will
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do my best. I'm particularly excited anytime that I talk
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about the origins of SmallBatch because I feel like it
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can be a very inspiring story for many people who
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are either contemplating starting their own business or have a
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wonderful idea that they feel shy about introducing into the
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world or don't feel like they have the right support.
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We started our company in the early 2000s, and it
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was kind of a combination of circumstances, if that makes
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any sense.
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Sure, yeah.
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My husband and I, David, who's also a founder, so
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you introduced me as the founder of SmallBudge, but there's
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three of us. And it is a family business. It's myself,
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my husband, and my brother-in-law. So David, my husband, and Michael,
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my brother-in-law. And each one plays a very important role
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in the business and how it started and how it
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shaped into what it is today. My husband was also
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working making pet food at the time for this store
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that we were working at. And so he knew a
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lot about creating pet food and working with ingredients. He
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also worked at Buy Right Creamery. Anyone in San Francisco
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knows Buy Right Creamery. It's the best ice cream ever.
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It's like where Kraft ice cream began. And also working
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catering for Buy Right Market. Buy Right Market was very
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instrumental in our beginnings because they really taught us about
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buying local food. locally sourced and supporting local businesses in
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our community. And that is kind of where we first
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got our schooling on ingredients and what was in our
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community as far as organic, sustainably raised meats, organic produce,
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sustainably raised meats. This store had They would label everything,
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like where the apple came from, you know, and the
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farm in the Bay Area where it came from. Oh, wow.
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And the meats, you know, that's where we met all
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of our first sources was through the butcher department of
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Buy Right Market. And so my husband working for those
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two store, you know, Byright Creamery only sold organic ice
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cream made with really amazing fresh ingredients. And then working
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at Byright Market, creating like wonderful food for their catering
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department and also making pet food. So he was really
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savvy with recipe formulation, working with ingredients. And he, my
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husband is like a huge foodie, which then made me into,
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turned me into a huge foodie. So, you know, going
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in our spare time, if we ever had extra money,
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we'd go to like the best restaurants and seeing the
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menus where they would list the local farms and ranches
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where the meal came from. To us, it just like,
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it was, it kept hitting us like, oh, this is
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really cool. Like we're eating really amazing food. And we're
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supporting our local farmer's market, you know, farms that are
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selling amazing local produce. But then the idea kept hitting
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us like this, we should extend this to our clients.
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This should adjust and at the dinner table for us
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or at the meal that we're eating at the restaurant.
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We need to create something using like really amazing ingredients
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because it's their food too, you know, like for pets,
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it's their world too. They live here with us as well.
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Why should they have less than we are having? So
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we wanted to extend that to pet parents and we did.
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We started creating the early stages of small batch was
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like experimental batches, tiny, tiny micro batches that we were
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making at home, um, with really amazing ingredients that we were,
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we're going to the ferry building. They have an amazing
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farmer's market in San Francisco. And that's where we would
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get to handpick all the ingredients, all the meats, all
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the sustainably raised grass-fed beef, chicken, local chicken, produce, organic produce,
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and mixing the ingredients up at home, creating these tiny batches.
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And then my husband started packing containers of ice cream
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pints that he would bring from his work.
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Sure.
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And packing the food that we were making into these
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ice cream pints and handing them to my pet dog
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walking clients, any pet sitting gigs that I had, I
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would ask them, hey, do you want to try this?
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Our friends and neighbors, anyone that we knew that could
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give us some feedback. And so those were the early
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stages of Small Badge. And then when we got the feedback,
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it was loud and clear. There is a space for this.
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People do better ingredients. They do care about ingredients better.
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for themselves. So they also want that for their dogs
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and cats. They understand the importance. And so, yeah, we
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started small batch. It was hard to come up with the,
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the concept was great. The philosophy, you know, we created
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a philosophy and a standard that nobody asked for, but
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I feel like 20 years later, it's a standard now
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for many companies that came along. Nobody asked for it,
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but now it's like so important. And I feel like Yeah,
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we were on target for, you know, doing the right thing.
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And that was kind of the thing that is still
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mind boggling for me is that we started with like
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the purest intentions. You know, we didn't have a business plan.
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We just had this, we had the concepts of like,
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we love great ingredients and we love animals. My husband
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loves great ingredients and he knows how to make real,
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he's very detail oriented and is super into health. And wellness,
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animal wellness. And I am as well, but I love
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serving pet companions and their owners, the pet parents. So
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for me, it was, I love dog walking. I love
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pet sitting. In the pet store setting, I loved finding
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the right foods for whatever was going on. I sold
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so many different pet foods as well. So that was
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also instrumental for me because I saw everything that was
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out there. I read many labels. Of course. And you know,
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the independent pet stores are where education begins. It really is.
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I mean, the amount of hours that I would spend
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with customers, listening to the stories, listening to their needs.
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Most of the time they would come out of desperation.
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Like my dog is having this issue and the dog
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is like half bald. And I'm like, what's going on? Or,
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you know, an allergy issue, overweight issue. I saw it all.
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And sometimes they would come in with puppies and kittens
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as like, hey, I never want to have any issues.
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What can I feed? So more preventative. And that was amazing.
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But I was able to really explore everything that was
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out there. That was really great at the time. You
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and I chatted about the melamine situation that happened right
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around that time, which was like a huge wake-up call
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for a lot of pet parents. Yes.
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For me, for sure. I mean, I lost two pets
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in it. It was devastating.
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It was devastating and So simultaneously, we were like creating
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things and listening to anyone that, you know, in our orbit.
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I remember there was a holistic vet named Molly Rice
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from Pacifica. veterinary who would come in and I would
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pick her brain about things. And anyone that, you know,
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in our orbit, vets, people with experience feeding raw food,
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we dove deep into... Our early batches were inspired by Dr.
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McCarran's diets.
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Okay.
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You know, so you can... That says a lot about
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like how we started and then what we created because
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his diets were cooked grains and raw meat and powders
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and And then we shifted to, it was that and
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Anitra Fraser's natural cat for cat recipes that we were
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using and adding our own spices. on things. And then
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when we found Ian Billinghurst and like the barf diets.
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Whoa.
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And it really helped shape all the questions that we
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were asking about what should be in pet food and
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how we wanted to create recipes for.
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Okay, so we need to take a quick break here.
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But first, if you've missed any of today's program, you
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can catch all episodes at PetsWhoThriveRadio.com. That's PetsWhoThriveRadio.com. I'm Tammy King,
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and I'll.
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Be right back.
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Thanks for listening to Pets Who Thrive Radio with Tammy King.
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Welcome back to Pets Who Thrive Radio. I'm Tammy King.
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Today we're joined by Diana Vogel, and she is the
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founder of Small Batch Pets.
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What I love about.
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It, too, is that you learned, you were kind of
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a sponge in that first pet store experience, and you
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just really embraced that. Like, wow, this is so cool.
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We're making these small batches of raw food. And there's
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that tracing of where they all are sourced. I mean,
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and like you said, you were just kept getting hit
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with that and how important that was for you as
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a consumer.
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Yeah.
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So we knew that it was important to us and
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it was important to a lot of people in our community,
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but we saw that there wasn't a pet food that
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was using that same philosophy in their process. So we
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were like, we're pretty sure that pet like-minded pet owners
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are going to have that same need. They're going to
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want this. They just don't know they want this. They
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don't know what they don't know. And once you know better,
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you start to do better. It has this effect on
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everything in your life. And you do all these great things,
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these wellness things for yourself, but it stops with your animals.
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They're part of your family. And so, yeah. And the
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name of Small Batch, a lot of people do ask,
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that's a funny name. Why Small Batch? And When we
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started the company, we were certain this is the path.
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We're not going back. This is what we're going to
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do and focus on. We had a really hard time
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naming it. And we came up with the silliest names
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in an attempt to find something that was catchy and original.
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And then I was like, no. I asked my husband,
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I'm like, what do we say when we are going
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to make food? And he's like, well, I always tell
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you I'm going to make a small batch of a
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beef or I'm going to make a small batch of turkey.
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And I'm like, that's it. A small batch.
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That's great.
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And then the branding, the logo, how it came about.
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One of our neighbors who was also one of my
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dog walking clients and would shop at the store that
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I worked at, she said to me, okay, you guys
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don't have like a cool label or any graphics. Like,
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what are you doing? You just have a name. And
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we would print our labels at home on our printer.
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And it was just like, craft a label with the
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name small lodge she's like you can't do this no
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one's going to take period let me she was a
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graphic designer and she was like come in we'll chat
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about what you do and i'll come up with some
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concepts for you so she created our logo i chose
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she chose she gave me like four different looks and
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i chose the one that felt like the one you
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know that i loved the most that represented us and
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what we were doing and i just walked her dog
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in exchange for branding and logo.
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Oh, wow. A community effort.
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Yes.
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I want you to succeed and you need a really
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good logo, but you don't have money to pay me.
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We're just going to exchange dog walking. That's amazing.
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So, so then at what point did it go from like,
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when you started expanding in some of these other stores,
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did you already have that logo and the, the bags
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and everything printed at that point?
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So we started, like I mentioned, in ice cream containers
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because the idea was, you know, we're creating this food
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that is organic, sustainably raised, local ingredients, and also in
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compostable containers. The ice cream containers were compostable. So we
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wanted the whole entire thing to have a really wonderful
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environmental impact as well. We started with our homemade labels
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for our first 15 customers, home delivery, or come to
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our house and pick it up. And then when we
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started having, when the store started to pick us up,
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the business models changed a bit in that we were
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still making them in containers with the new logo and
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with our beautiful new name and look, but we were
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still delivering. And then when we had to move outside
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of our community, our Bay Area community, we and our
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first district, and we were still doing the pints containers
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in Southern California too. There was a boarding facility that
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carried our food. And then there was one store that
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carried our food in Ventura County and another one in
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Southern California. And they were doing the containers. And it was,
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it was a struggle because other companies that were like
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us were not doing the containers. They started doing portions.
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And so when we had the first opportunity to partner
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up with a distributor, they were like, we love what
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you're doing, but we need it to change a little bit.
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And that's where my brother-in-law, who is just, he's very
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locked into what the right choices are. Very rational rather
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than just with their heart. He was like, we need
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to shift things a little here. And we started creating
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them in portion sizes and in bags. Gotcha. Okay. For
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the ease and the convenience of the consumer and the
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store and the distributor, thinking about everyone else except not
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just us, you know, and what we wanted.
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So talk to us a little bit about where did
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you decide to start looking for the sourcing and what
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were some of the criteria that you had with who
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you chose to And, you know, just kind of what
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that process looked like for you guys.
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So in the very beginning, like I said, anyone, any
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sourcing that we partnered up with, any farms and ranches,
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those are farms and ranches that we already knew were amazing.
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They were in our community, Pittman Farms, some of the
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early beef and lamb sources in the Bay Area were
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very small too. So we knew exactly, we went to
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their farm. One of the earliest ones were at Chileno
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Valley Farms in Marin County. And I feel like that's
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where we became very passionate about our sourcing because when
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we went there, we thought we had died on the road,
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on the way there. And this was heaven. It was
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the most charming farms. the owners were incredible people that
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were really passionate about, you know, animal husbandry, how to
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raise the animal correctly throughout their whole life up to
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the end, you know, and we saw all the animals
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following the owners around the farm. Like they trusted this
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person and the way he talked about the animals last day,
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he would tell us like, aren't all my animals live
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a really amazing life. And, um, And they just have
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one not so easy, not so great day.
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Yeah.
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And we make sure that, you know, they're not stressed
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and they are honored. And we were like, this is it. Yeah.
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So that standard obviously had to change because we couldn't
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continue on that path of these tiny little farms that
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an enranchment would be. We picked up our meat and
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produce from personally. But that same standard continued with other
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farms and ranches. We still continue to audit them and
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ask for certification, ask for what they do to ensure
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the animals, the animal welfare standards, the life of the
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animals that they raise and how they're treated. So we
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vetted them very, very good.
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That's good.
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Sure, sure.
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So then, so you find your farms and then you decide, okay,
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so now we're going to make a formula and we're
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not going to compromise on putting synthetic vitamins. We're going
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to use organic produce. Walk us through that.
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00:19:56.819 --> 00:19:59.640
So yeah, so the philosophy from the beginning, when we,
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you know, knew what kind of recipe we wanted to
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create and what kind of species appropriate, whole food-derived food
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we wanted to create. We knew that there were two paths,
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you know, and the easier path is to do a pre-mix,
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a synthetic vitamin pre-mix, to just hit those numbers that
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you need to make sure that people see it and think, yeah,
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this looks good. It adds up. It's whole and complete.
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The buzz phrase is completely balanced.
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Absolutely. And that's one route to go for sure. But
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we knew that you can accomplish that using pre-mix. natural
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whole food derived ingredients, natural supplements found in nature. And
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the idea was to stay as close to that species
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appropriate diet, you know, and it is harder work to
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do it that way because you're constantly having to shift
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and make these like experimental batches to make sure that,
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you know, you're hitting the numbers with the appropriate nutrients. Absolutely.
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It's a lot of going back to the beginning and
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trying out something else. And making sure that it aligns with,
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would a dog eat this? Would a cat eat this?
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Do they absorb that nutrient? How do they absorb that nutrient?
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And just a lot of math and a lot of
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adding things and switching it up. So it is more work,
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but in the long run, it makes so much more sense.
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Of course, because our bodies, they recognize food. They don't
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necessarily recognize a synthetic vitamin. What do I do with this?
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I always tell people, if your eyes, when you're looking
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at labels, can't make sense of the ingredient panel and
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your eyes can't understand it, what do you think your
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body's going to do when you put that in your body?
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That's such a good point.
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Yes.
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Hey, we need to take a quick break here. Hang on.
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We'll be right back. This is Pets Who Thrive Radio.
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00:21:56.930 --> 00:21:58.369
This is Pets Who Thrive Radio.
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00:22:00.789 --> 00:22:04.500
Here's Tammy King with another Pets Who Thrive Radio Daily Wag,
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00:22:04.700 --> 00:22:06.900
brought to you by the Carnivore Wellness Company.
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00:22:07.700 --> 00:22:10.480
Did you know that you can provide enrichment through scent
380
00:22:10.519 --> 00:22:13.039
work for your dog? One of the best ways to
381
00:22:13.099 --> 00:22:16.329
enrich your dog's life is through scent work. Hide treats
382
00:22:16.410 --> 00:22:19.329
or favorite toys around the house or yard and encourage
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00:22:19.349 --> 00:22:20.410
your pup to find it.
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00:22:21.049 --> 00:22:23.069
This taps into their natural.
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00:22:22.710 --> 00:22:28.140
Hunting instincts, tires them out naturally. and builds confidence. For cats,
386
00:22:28.220 --> 00:22:32.049
sprinkle silver vine or catnip on scratchers or puzzle feeders.
387
00:22:32.670 --> 00:22:36.869
Scent-based games provide powerful stimulation that can reduce boredom and
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00:22:37.049 --> 00:22:41.630
unwanted behaviors. I'm Tammy King, host of Pets Who Thrive Radio,
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00:22:41.970 --> 00:22:43.190
and that's your daily wag.
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00:22:43.839 --> 00:22:46.220
The Daily Wag is brought to you by the Carnivore
391
00:22:46.279 --> 00:22:50.359
Wellness Company. Is your dog constantly itching, struggling with allergies,
392
00:22:50.539 --> 00:22:54.569
or battling chronic digestive issues? Contact the Carnivore Wellness Company
393
00:22:54.769 --> 00:22:56.950
online at petswhothriveradio.com.
394
00:23:18.119 --> 00:23:22.019
Welcome back to Pets Who Thrive Radio. I'm Tammy King. Today,
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00:23:22.039 --> 00:23:25.380
we're joined by Diana Vogel, and she is the founder
396
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of Small Batch Pets.
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You know, I talk to.
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Clients on a daily basis about our dogs, no matter
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00:23:33.279 --> 00:23:36.660
how cute, small, you know, whatever they are, they are
400
00:23:37.279 --> 00:23:42.880
like 99% related to the gray wolf's DNA. And yes,
401
00:23:43.019 --> 00:23:46.509
and so I said, would you question at all what
402
00:23:46.529 --> 00:23:47.869
a wolf would eat in the wild?
403
00:23:48.559 --> 00:23:50.160
And it's like, absolutely not.
404
00:23:50.480 --> 00:23:53.400
And yeah, so they're not going to a kibble farm and,
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00:23:54.619 --> 00:23:59.980
you know, trying to find a high carbohydrate diet that's
406
00:24:00.079 --> 00:24:05.309
full of fillers and nasty products, you know, etc.
407
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And I mean, especially for cats, I mean, definitely for dogs.
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00:24:09.910 --> 00:24:15.289
And you see how dogs just fully flourish when they're
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on a diet. It's just, it's very... It's very amazing
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to watch and very inspiring when you see it in action.
411
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But a cat more so because they're obligate carnivores, right?
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So the way they're fed.
413
00:24:30.220 --> 00:24:33.279
The reason why so many cats drink so much water
414
00:24:33.319 --> 00:24:36.279
is because they're eating kibble and it has zero moisture.
415
00:24:36.440 --> 00:24:36.640
Yeah.
416
00:24:36.799 --> 00:24:38.619
They're in a constant state of dehydration.
417
00:24:38.839 --> 00:24:44.700
We're constantly dehydrated. Yes. Their bodies are not made to
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00:24:44.769 --> 00:24:49.089
be thirsty like that if they're eating a monster-rich diet.
419
00:24:49.410 --> 00:24:49.670
Yes.
420
00:24:50.250 --> 00:24:55.619
Organ meat and in the wild, blood. Mm-hmm. They go
421
00:24:55.680 --> 00:24:59.700
for the organs first and then anything that's in the stomach,
422
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you know, any little plants that were in the animal.
423
00:25:03.700 --> 00:25:08.089
And yeah, you just see when you see it, there's
424
00:25:08.130 --> 00:25:11.529
no turning back. Exactly. Yes.
425
00:25:11.789 --> 00:25:14.680
And, you know, we had talked, I have adopted several
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dogs from a shelter and many of them are in
427
00:25:18.000 --> 00:25:23.099
pretty rough shape. either emaciated, maybe have hardly any fur, just,
428
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you know, all sorts of things from like orthopedic issues.
429
00:25:26.779 --> 00:25:29.769
You know, we, and we don't, we're not really picky.
430
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Like when a dog comes to us and needs help,
431
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we're like, oh, she's 10.
432
00:25:34.170 --> 00:25:34.589
Okay.
433
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You know, we're, we're, you know, whatever, you know, it
434
00:25:36.970 --> 00:25:39.269
doesn't matter. It doesn't have to be a puppy. So,
435
00:25:39.549 --> 00:25:44.880
but we have seen just complete transformation. So the point
436
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that the, the woman who runs the rescue, you know,
437
00:25:48.339 --> 00:25:50.470
we get, We'll get an animal in our care and
438
00:25:50.490 --> 00:25:53.150
we immediately start feeding them raw. Small batch is one
439
00:25:53.190 --> 00:25:55.900
of our top ones that we feed at our house.
440
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We have several dogs, so we do have to do
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some rotation, but it is hands down one of our favorites.
442
00:26:02.259 --> 00:26:06.400
But to see the transformation and, you know, you don't
443
00:26:06.559 --> 00:26:10.309
as an owner, you're not seeing it so black and
444
00:26:10.380 --> 00:26:13.789
white because it's it just kind of organically happens over time.
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00:26:14.309 --> 00:26:17.410
But then when the lady that's the head of the rescue,
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you know, will bring that dog up to the store
447
00:26:20.490 --> 00:26:24.170
and she's like, wait, is that pumpkin?
448
00:26:25.210 --> 00:26:27.109
Is that pumpkin? That can't be her.
449
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And it's just like, what?
450
00:26:29.890 --> 00:26:32.849
She has fur. She's not emaciated.
451
00:26:32.990 --> 00:26:35.410
She looks so beautiful and happy.
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And, you know, and this is a.
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Dog like if you saw her picture on the, you know,
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the picture that they I mean, just so sad. So emaciated,
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no hair. It's just crazy.
456
00:26:46.269 --> 00:26:51.210
Those stories are constant reminders to me when, you know,
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being in this industry is hard. It is a hard industry.
458
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It is incredibly stressful, not just the stress of the
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business and keeping up with the demands of the business
460
00:27:00.559 --> 00:27:04.960
and creating great food and making sure that every animal
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has all the proper nutrition and, you know, helping our
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independent pet stores constantly meet their needs, make everyone happy.
463
00:27:14.769 --> 00:27:15.029
Right.
464
00:27:15.509 --> 00:27:18.430
It's just, it's a very stressful, it's a very, there's
465
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a lot of, um, there's a lot of, uh, worry,
466
00:27:23.069 --> 00:27:25.130
you know, if I doing it right, what can I
467
00:27:25.190 --> 00:27:28.829
do better? Um, so it is, it's a hard business
468
00:27:28.950 --> 00:27:32.839
to be in. It's beautiful. It's very fulfilling, but certain
469
00:27:32.880 --> 00:27:35.619
days are hard and the really hard days you're like,
470
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I could be doing a regular nine to five and
471
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and like, especially the beginnings of a business. We never
472
00:27:45.279 --> 00:27:49.640
had any days off holidays. I am emails and phone
473
00:27:49.660 --> 00:27:53.920
calls on the weekends. Our customers had my direct line.
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We're in a constant struggle to make boundaries and space
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for myself. But when I hear the wonderful stories, I
476
00:28:01.529 --> 00:28:06.829
still get emotional and I still get ramped up. Yes.
477
00:28:07.049 --> 00:28:10.910
A beautiful success story. And I'm like, okay, I'm back in.
478
00:28:10.930 --> 00:28:15.299
You guys have me again. All my love. Let's do more.
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How can I help?
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Where can I show up? Yes.
481
00:28:18.220 --> 00:28:23.259
Invigorating. That change is invigorating. And the stories, I always
482
00:28:23.279 --> 00:28:25.569
tell people, please share your testimonials. Not just so we
483
00:28:25.589 --> 00:28:29.950
can brag, but because they really help nourish us. That
484
00:28:29.990 --> 00:28:33.839
is so true, Diana, because I know exactly what you're saying.
485
00:28:33.859 --> 00:28:36.779
When you run a business, a lot of people are thinking,
486
00:28:36.819 --> 00:28:38.680
oh my gosh, you just work with dogs all day.
487
00:28:38.700 --> 00:28:39.740
You know, how fun.
488
00:28:39.859 --> 00:28:42.720
I wish. I really wish.
489
00:28:43.000 --> 00:28:43.619
I know.
490
00:28:43.819 --> 00:28:46.200
And yes, we do get to take our dogs to work,
491
00:28:46.319 --> 00:28:49.420
but it's just such a small part of what happens
492
00:28:49.460 --> 00:28:50.009
in a day.
493
00:28:50.170 --> 00:28:53.460
And I tell the same story. When I have a
494
00:28:53.500 --> 00:28:58.009
customer come in and their dog was struggling with some horrible,
495
00:28:58.220 --> 00:29:02.890
maybe autoimmune disease or just completely out of control with
496
00:29:02.930 --> 00:29:06.549
the itching and things are back to normal, that is
497
00:29:06.670 --> 00:29:10.869
what feeds my soul. And that's the North Star. You
498
00:29:10.910 --> 00:29:13.809
know what I mean? That's what keeps us going. Because
499
00:29:14.190 --> 00:29:17.049
so many times I think what can happen is, especially
500
00:29:17.630 --> 00:29:21.150
as a business owner, the reason you did this in
501
00:29:21.190 --> 00:29:23.950
the first place was because of that. But because of
502
00:29:24.009 --> 00:29:26.960
the nature of running a business, sometimes you get bogged
503
00:29:27.000 --> 00:29:31.460
down in the daily and you lose that where, okay,
504
00:29:31.539 --> 00:29:33.019
I need some success stories.
505
00:29:34.279 --> 00:29:39.109
Best stories. And you need that connection, that very important
506
00:29:39.150 --> 00:29:43.150
connection that reminds you why you're doing this. And yes,
507
00:29:43.599 --> 00:29:46.059
I've been talking about working in a pet food, in
508
00:29:46.099 --> 00:29:49.460
a pet store setting, and I worked in a few,
509
00:29:49.480 --> 00:29:52.869
a number of different hospitals. Each one is a little
510
00:29:52.910 --> 00:29:55.940
different and each one has their own clientele. But the
511
00:29:56.099 --> 00:30:00.220
ones that were instrumental for me were always the ones
512
00:30:00.279 --> 00:30:03.789
that came in with like, I need help. Right. I
513
00:30:03.960 --> 00:30:09.089
need help less than I need a cured dog leash. Exactly.
514
00:30:09.109 --> 00:30:13.299
I really need help. And I remember being so young
515
00:30:13.460 --> 00:30:15.460
and I'm thinking now, like, what was I doing? I
516
00:30:15.460 --> 00:30:19.940
should have been like road tripping or going on backpacking
517
00:30:20.000 --> 00:30:23.029
trips or partying a lot. I was in my early 20s.
518
00:30:23.329 --> 00:30:27.309
But I loved those connections with the pet owners and
519
00:30:27.369 --> 00:30:31.170
watching the pets come in and they're happy and giving
520
00:30:31.210 --> 00:30:37.089
them treats and bonding. And for me, the most powerful
521
00:30:37.130 --> 00:30:40.960
thing was having someone come in and thank me. Yes.
522
00:30:41.250 --> 00:30:46.410
That's what drew me in. I wanted to connect those
523
00:30:46.470 --> 00:30:47.369
dots more.
524
00:30:47.849 --> 00:30:48.069
Yes.
525
00:30:48.250 --> 00:30:51.089
And my husband too, when he would see those, when
526
00:30:51.150 --> 00:30:55.119
he would have those connections and people were like telling him, yes,
527
00:30:55.220 --> 00:30:57.839
you're on the right track because whoa, look at this.
528
00:30:57.859 --> 00:30:58.680
Yes. Yes.
529
00:30:58.720 --> 00:31:04.400
So those stories really, really keep us connected. focused on
530
00:31:04.680 --> 00:31:09.349
yes absolutely is to improve the lives of the dogs
531
00:31:09.369 --> 00:31:12.549
and cats absolutely and that's that's the mission statement you
532
00:31:12.589 --> 00:31:14.589
know you just want to help as many pets as
533
00:31:14.650 --> 00:31:19.170
possible be healthier and thrive you know yeah and making
534
00:31:19.230 --> 00:31:23.000
it easier for pet parents to accomplish that without all
535
00:31:23.059 --> 00:31:26.940
the overwhelming information that's out there too oh my goodness
536
00:31:27.299 --> 00:31:29.420
it makes sense of things and how do i read
537
00:31:29.460 --> 00:31:31.980
this label and what am i missing because there's so
538
00:31:32.039 --> 00:31:35.309
much information out there and i'm very thankful that there's
539
00:31:35.349 --> 00:31:38.809
more awareness yes you know for sure but there's also
540
00:31:38.869 --> 00:31:43.950
very conflicting information that's put out there constantly constantly yes
541
00:31:44.450 --> 00:31:51.279
influencers and you have like celebrity type you know people
542
00:31:51.299 --> 00:31:55.559
out there. It's constantly confusing too, because there's so much information.
543
00:31:55.640 --> 00:31:57.309
How do you make sense? Like, well, should I try?
544
00:31:57.369 --> 00:31:57.569
No.
545
00:31:58.549 --> 00:32:02.529
So yeah, the stories for sure. The testimonials are so
546
00:32:02.569 --> 00:32:05.849
wonderful and the connections that we make with them throughout
547
00:32:05.910 --> 00:32:09.250
the years. I mean, I have, I have some of
548
00:32:09.329 --> 00:32:14.289
our first 15 customers have continued to feed our food
549
00:32:14.349 --> 00:32:20.519
with new pets. I have one, one of our clients, She,
550
00:32:20.759 --> 00:32:22.980
she came in, you know, one day with, I have,
551
00:32:23.000 --> 00:32:25.460
my dog has this puppy acne and I don't know
552
00:32:25.480 --> 00:32:27.940
how to get rid of it. And she also itches
553
00:32:27.960 --> 00:32:31.210
a lot. And we created, we formulated a special diet.
554
00:32:31.250 --> 00:32:33.650
Just this is the very early days. And we made
555
00:32:33.690 --> 00:32:37.190
sure it's quiet for her dog. And that dog thrived
556
00:32:37.230 --> 00:32:39.430
on our food, lived a long life. She got a
557
00:32:39.470 --> 00:32:41.950
new dog. That dog is now on the, you know,
558
00:32:42.430 --> 00:32:43.750
new version of small badge.
559
00:32:43.950 --> 00:32:44.210
Sure.
560
00:32:44.910 --> 00:32:47.329
The kicker is that she has kids that are all
561
00:32:47.369 --> 00:32:49.569
grown and they have their own pets in their own
562
00:32:49.609 --> 00:32:54.230
small batch. Oh, and kids, the, the grant, the fur,
563
00:32:54.730 --> 00:32:59.309
you know, grandkids. And that to me is like, that's amazing.
564
00:32:59.730 --> 00:33:00.019
Yes.
565
00:33:00.430 --> 00:33:03.440
Because I saw what a difference. And that's the thing
566
00:33:03.480 --> 00:33:06.400
that I think is so powerful with just all the
567
00:33:06.460 --> 00:33:10.250
message that we're, you know, kind of, Disgusting. Okay, so
568
00:33:10.269 --> 00:33:12.769
we need to take a quick break here. But first,
569
00:33:12.950 --> 00:33:15.109
if you've missed any of today's program, you can catch
570
00:33:15.309 --> 00:33:22.299
all episodes at petswhothriveradio.com. That's petswhothriveradio.com. I'm Tammy King, and
571
00:33:22.319 --> 00:33:23.059
I'll be right back.
572
00:33:24.500 --> 00:33:26.460
Pets Who Thrive Radio with Tammy King.
573
00:33:29.390 --> 00:33:32.119
Hey, it's Dr. Marty here with some really exciting news.
574
00:33:32.420 --> 00:33:36.440
The reason why Nature's Blend is freeze-dried raw is because
575
00:33:36.500 --> 00:33:41.500
the freeze-drying process locks in the nutrients that would have
576
00:33:41.660 --> 00:33:45.789
otherwise been destroyed by cooking it. And because it's freeze-dried,
577
00:33:45.809 --> 00:33:50.829
this food doesn't require any refrigeration. Dog parents can serve
578
00:33:50.890 --> 00:33:54.890
Nature's Blend wet with some added warm water or totally dry,
579
00:33:55.089 --> 00:33:56.809
poured straight from the bag.
580
00:33:57.150 --> 00:34:12.119
Online at drmartypets.com. Welcome back to Pets Who Thrive Radio.
581
00:34:12.239 --> 00:34:15.900
I'm Tammy King. Today we're joined by Diana Vogel, and
582
00:34:16.000 --> 00:34:20.400
she is the founder of Small Batch Pets. The two
583
00:34:20.800 --> 00:34:24.630
things that I find that vets, just because it's that
584
00:34:24.849 --> 00:34:28.719
they don't understand that they, they tell their customer or
585
00:34:28.739 --> 00:34:32.639
their clients about raw food is that it's not complete
586
00:34:32.679 --> 00:34:37.280
and balanced and it's filled with bacteria. So if you
587
00:34:37.320 --> 00:34:39.719
could maybe share a little bit about how you guys
588
00:34:39.820 --> 00:34:43.679
tackle the, I know we talked about the, the making
589
00:34:43.719 --> 00:34:46.949
it complete and balanced with the organic veggies and stuff,
590
00:34:46.969 --> 00:34:50.150
but as far as food safety, what's your philosophy there?
591
00:34:51.059 --> 00:34:53.699
Well, you know, we start with fantastic ingredients. When you
592
00:34:53.739 --> 00:34:57.570
start with fantastic ingredients, when you start with meat that
593
00:34:57.710 --> 00:35:03.170
is not full of bacteria from mechanically separated meat. Of course, yes.
594
00:35:03.250 --> 00:35:06.130
Pink slime is what a lot of people know it as.
595
00:35:06.269 --> 00:35:10.429
When I talk about mechanically deboned or separated meat, some
596
00:35:10.449 --> 00:35:13.170
people will be like, is that like pink slime? I'm like, yeah, yeah.
597
00:35:13.409 --> 00:35:16.070
It's all the rendered parts of the very good parts
598
00:35:16.139 --> 00:35:17.619
and then Sure.
599
00:35:17.639 --> 00:35:18.420
Yeah.
600
00:35:18.840 --> 00:35:21.480
That's the first step, starting with amazing ingredients. And that's
601
00:35:21.539 --> 00:35:23.639
a very important step when you're dealing with raw food
602
00:35:23.679 --> 00:35:28.320
as well. And then you have temperature control, processing food
603
00:35:28.380 --> 00:35:32.760
in a temperature controlled environment. And then you have test
604
00:35:32.820 --> 00:35:34.699
and hold. We test and hold all of our food.
605
00:35:35.199 --> 00:35:40.199
We test for salmonella, listeria, E. coli, and it's through
606
00:35:40.219 --> 00:35:43.880
a third party lab to ensure that our food The
607
00:35:43.900 --> 00:35:46.719
finished recipe is not full of bacteria.
608
00:35:46.980 --> 00:35:47.360
Sure.
609
00:35:48.139 --> 00:35:51.829
It's not going anywhere. And then we use phages, which
610
00:35:51.949 --> 00:35:55.829
target and destroy any harmful bacteria, but then leave everything
611
00:35:56.010 --> 00:35:59.630
else intact. The raw is raw and all the nutrients
612
00:36:00.570 --> 00:36:04.590
continue to thrive inside the food. So those are the steps,
613
00:36:04.690 --> 00:36:07.150
but it starts with sourcing for me. I feel like
614
00:36:07.409 --> 00:36:09.389
for us, definitely starting with.
615
00:36:10.380 --> 00:36:12.960
Yeah, you've got to have the pristine ingredients. Yeah, if
616
00:36:13.000 --> 00:36:16.369
you already start with bacteria-filled food, I mean.
617
00:36:16.769 --> 00:36:21.070
Of course. And, you know, we started talking about veds
618
00:36:21.610 --> 00:36:24.429
and how, you know, not just veds, but a lot
619
00:36:24.449 --> 00:36:28.789
of pet owners are very apprehensive about feeding raw because
620
00:36:28.809 --> 00:36:32.789
of bacteria issue, the idea of bacteria issues. We had
621
00:36:32.849 --> 00:36:36.230
a vet when we lived in Portland. Wonderful, wonderful vet.
622
00:36:36.570 --> 00:36:39.010
Her visits, they were like wellness checkups and they would
623
00:36:39.070 --> 00:36:42.489
last hours because she loved talking to me and loved
624
00:36:42.550 --> 00:36:47.260
my pets. Dr. Davey said to Rivers Veterinary, I remember
625
00:36:47.300 --> 00:36:50.739
her telling me, I didn't learn a lot about nutrition
626
00:36:50.780 --> 00:36:53.619
when I went into vet school. So those were courses
627
00:36:53.719 --> 00:36:56.340
I had to take additionally to learn about nutrition, she
628
00:36:56.380 --> 00:36:59.190
would tell me. So she would come and ask me
629
00:36:59.210 --> 00:37:02.989
for advice on other clients. And I would feel weird.
630
00:37:03.030 --> 00:37:05.110
I'm like, I'm not a vet. And I'm like, she's
631
00:37:05.190 --> 00:37:07.429
asking me for advice. Like, this is so cool, but
632
00:37:07.469 --> 00:37:09.780
it's also like kind of strange. And she was like,
633
00:37:11.059 --> 00:37:13.440
I love your brand. I love what you're doing. My
634
00:37:13.460 --> 00:37:16.380
dogs eat raw. She's like, but so many of my
635
00:37:16.440 --> 00:37:20.469
clients are very scared to feed raw. Can you make
636
00:37:20.570 --> 00:37:26.260
something that, you know, with the same ingredient profile, same
637
00:37:26.300 --> 00:37:29.610
amazing ingredients, but not raw. Can you do that? And
638
00:37:29.650 --> 00:37:33.730
I was like, yeah, actually we accidentally cooked our food
639
00:37:33.909 --> 00:37:37.349
at a facility, at a sausage making facility that we
640
00:37:37.369 --> 00:37:41.639
were like experimenting, you know, trying new products with. And
641
00:37:42.519 --> 00:37:44.619
we came up with kind of a cook diet, but
642
00:37:44.639 --> 00:37:46.739
we're still formulating. We're still trying to come up with
643
00:37:46.780 --> 00:37:49.099
something different. And we were going through sous vide, finding
644
00:37:49.119 --> 00:37:52.730
a sous vide. And she's like, Diana, that would be
645
00:37:52.800 --> 00:37:56.909
amazing because if you had that, I can confidently be like, hey, listen,
646
00:37:56.929 --> 00:37:59.500
you got to try this. Especially on cats. She's like,
647
00:37:59.539 --> 00:38:01.840
we need a cat one. Like a cat one would
648
00:38:01.880 --> 00:38:04.860
be so amazing. And so she was super encouraging and
649
00:38:04.880 --> 00:38:08.099
she would look over my work and the ingredients and
650
00:38:08.360 --> 00:38:12.320
help us brainstorm what to do next. But that was
651
00:38:12.699 --> 00:38:16.679
very important to her. Like, hey, the people who are
652
00:38:16.900 --> 00:38:20.460
scared of trying raw, you need to have a backup.
653
00:38:21.139 --> 00:38:28.340
with the same concept of your raw. Organ-rich, organic, pesticide-free produce,
654
00:38:28.679 --> 00:38:31.619
especially for cats and especially for, you know, when you
655
00:38:31.659 --> 00:38:35.869
talk about organic produce, like the why, and a lot
656
00:38:35.889 --> 00:38:39.570
of people think like, oh, your food is just like gourmet.
657
00:38:40.230 --> 00:38:43.090
Like it's so cute. It's gourmet because you use organic
658
00:38:43.449 --> 00:38:47.769
produce or you use, you know, sustainable ingredients. But there's
659
00:38:47.809 --> 00:38:52.210
a reason why we use organic produce. produce and absolutely
660
00:38:52.590 --> 00:38:57.670
ingredients the the amount of pesticide residue on produce oh
661
00:38:57.750 --> 00:39:00.170
gosh you know when you think of a dog and
662
00:39:00.190 --> 00:39:03.010
a cat they're like a fraction of our size and
663
00:39:03.030 --> 00:39:05.000
so they're eating the same food every day and if
664
00:39:05.059 --> 00:39:11.019
it has pesticide residue the accumulation of it especially on
665
00:39:11.099 --> 00:39:15.150
cats who have like Low liver enzymes, they can't break
666
00:39:15.210 --> 00:39:20.099
down toxins the way dogs can. That is the importance
667
00:39:20.159 --> 00:39:26.849
of using organic, pesticide-free, chemical-free, the number one reason in food.
668
00:39:27.090 --> 00:39:29.969
There are so many other reasons, like it's good for soil.
669
00:39:30.300 --> 00:39:35.400
it's good for, you know, our pollinators, it's good for things,
670
00:39:35.920 --> 00:39:40.239
water quality. But when you start to think of like,
671
00:39:41.099 --> 00:39:44.900
let's make a cooked version, but with the same specifics
672
00:39:45.000 --> 00:39:48.119
as the raw. And here's the reason why. It just
673
00:39:48.159 --> 00:39:53.000
starts to Yeah. Create a case of why you should
674
00:39:53.079 --> 00:39:55.920
really focus on sourcing. And I think that's one of
675
00:39:55.960 --> 00:39:59.000
the things that we do best because there are other
676
00:39:59.039 --> 00:40:02.130
cooked food companies out there now. There are other raw
677
00:40:02.150 --> 00:40:05.730
food companies, obviously. But I can confidently say being in
678
00:40:05.769 --> 00:40:09.110
the industry and knowing... I get a lot of unsolicited
679
00:40:09.150 --> 00:40:13.929
information too from like... You do. Yes. People and sources.
680
00:40:13.969 --> 00:40:16.860
We get a lot of brokers that call us trying
681
00:40:16.900 --> 00:40:20.739
to sell us meat or sell us ingredients. And they'll
682
00:40:20.760 --> 00:40:24.780
say like, well, so-and-so uses this. And to me, I'm like, oh,
683
00:40:24.880 --> 00:40:26.059
I would never use that.
684
00:40:26.139 --> 00:40:27.659
That's horrible quality.
685
00:40:27.719 --> 00:40:30.619
And shame on you for telling me what my competitor
686
00:40:30.659 --> 00:40:34.829
needs to do. And so yeah, sourcing is always so
687
00:40:34.889 --> 00:40:38.489
important to us in every product that we offer. And
688
00:40:38.730 --> 00:40:42.250
with the lightly cooked, we don't use peas, pea protein,
689
00:40:42.489 --> 00:40:47.489
or starches, or potatoes. or any filler to bind it
690
00:40:47.570 --> 00:40:50.849
or to make it more attractive. We are basically using
691
00:40:50.889 --> 00:40:55.139
the same philosophy and concept of our raw and modifying
692
00:40:55.199 --> 00:40:59.840
it into a lightly cooked version that's like cooked at
693
00:40:59.880 --> 00:41:04.099
a very low temperature just for pasteurization purposes. You know,
694
00:41:04.139 --> 00:41:08.030
whatever it means, you know, whatever protein requires a certain
695
00:41:08.110 --> 00:41:12.119
level for each to meet the level of pasteurization needed.
696
00:41:12.579 --> 00:41:14.679
So there's a lot of attention to detail in everything
697
00:41:15.059 --> 00:41:18.559
we do. Yes, and it's so palatable.
698
00:41:18.579 --> 00:41:24.199
I mean, that is one thing that in Bark Avenue,
699
00:41:24.219 --> 00:41:28.639
our just cats and dogs both love it. It's just
700
00:41:28.679 --> 00:41:30.760
like all of a sudden, the lightly cooked is just,
701
00:41:30.980 --> 00:41:32.139
it's on demand.
702
00:41:32.219 --> 00:41:36.969
So- And it still has like that prey model philosophy
703
00:41:37.010 --> 00:41:40.639
of the organ rich meat, which is so essential. I mean,
704
00:41:40.760 --> 00:41:44.780
organ meat is nature's multivitamins, all the essentials.
705
00:41:44.920 --> 00:41:46.000
Absolutely.
706
00:41:46.420 --> 00:41:51.420
Yeah. I constantly tell people if you can't feed small batch,
707
00:41:52.079 --> 00:41:54.579
because I understand that it's not for everyone, but you
708
00:41:54.619 --> 00:41:58.679
want to do something or you want to switch a
709
00:41:58.699 --> 00:42:02.179
dog or a cat, especially a finicky cat to something better.
710
00:42:02.199 --> 00:42:05.030
Oh my gosh.
711
00:42:05.090 --> 00:42:05.409
Yes.
712
00:42:05.550 --> 00:42:10.230
They're so full of vitamins and minerals and nutrients. It's
713
00:42:10.289 --> 00:42:14.349
like the gateway into like better nutrition and you're adding
714
00:42:14.429 --> 00:42:16.969
so much life into their food or into their routine,
715
00:42:17.320 --> 00:42:20.820
adding them as treats. So any little bit that you
716
00:42:20.920 --> 00:42:23.809
can do, means so much. It goes a long way.
717
00:42:24.369 --> 00:42:26.510
And I'm glad you mentioned that because I do think
718
00:42:26.610 --> 00:42:30.190
a lot of times people get a little overwhelmed. Maybe, gosh,
719
00:42:30.449 --> 00:42:32.730
I'd love to feed my dog or cat this every
720
00:42:32.769 --> 00:42:36.420
single meal, but I just can't afford it. Or we
721
00:42:36.460 --> 00:42:39.400
don't have the freezer space or whatever it is. And
722
00:42:39.480 --> 00:42:43.400
there's so much benefit in just adding a little bit
723
00:42:43.440 --> 00:42:45.429
of that each and every day or even.
724
00:42:45.300 --> 00:42:48.869
A few times a week. Oh, absolutely. And like I said,
725
00:42:48.909 --> 00:42:51.969
especially for cats, I mean, you'll hear, I had this
726
00:42:52.139 --> 00:42:58.119
conversation yesterday with one of my teammates and a colleague
727
00:42:58.260 --> 00:43:02.519
of ours, Tess, her name is Taz, who used to
728
00:43:02.599 --> 00:43:05.039
own a pet store, was in the pet store business
729
00:43:05.079 --> 00:43:08.260
in New York City for decades. And it's just very
730
00:43:08.300 --> 00:43:14.039
knowledgeable in cat specific nutrition. And she's just like, Just
731
00:43:14.119 --> 00:43:17.039
give them some hearts. Just give them some organ meat.
732
00:43:17.420 --> 00:43:19.239
It's hilarious. Yes, it's so true.
733
00:43:19.619 --> 00:43:21.760
If you have a cat that's super finicky and you're like,
734
00:43:21.780 --> 00:43:24.719
I can't switch her over. I can't switch them over
735
00:43:24.760 --> 00:43:28.369
from dry food. Just try. And he actually gave me
736
00:43:28.409 --> 00:43:31.110
a really good tip that I never thought of is
737
00:43:31.250 --> 00:43:35.769
putting the new food. So if you're introducing small batch
738
00:43:36.130 --> 00:43:40.610
into a cat, a finicky cat's routine, she said she's
739
00:43:40.630 --> 00:43:43.929
been very successful at transitioning by adding the new food
740
00:43:44.090 --> 00:43:47.030
underneath the old food. Yes. And I'm like, I never
741
00:43:47.050 --> 00:43:47.760
thought of that.
742
00:43:47.800 --> 00:43:51.559
That's so wild. Well, because we'll just like cats, they
743
00:43:51.599 --> 00:43:55.900
have the imprinting. And so if they've never noticed that
744
00:43:56.059 --> 00:43:58.820
as a, or recognize it as food, they'll just be like, well,
745
00:43:58.840 --> 00:44:00.260
I'm walking away. So yeah, it's a.
746
00:44:00.260 --> 00:44:04.860
Good way to. And you love her layering, layering of
747
00:44:04.920 --> 00:44:07.739
flavors and scents. And I'm like, that is so genius.
748
00:44:07.760 --> 00:44:10.500
She's like, yeah, put it under and add some hearts.
749
00:44:10.639 --> 00:44:13.219
And then like, you'll start to see.
750
00:44:14.429 --> 00:44:14.590
It.
751
00:44:14.610 --> 00:44:17.570
Because people want fast results too, right? So I'm always like,
752
00:44:18.239 --> 00:44:21.559
Keep a journal, try different foods, try different brands. What
753
00:44:21.599 --> 00:44:25.739
small batch offers may differ from a different brand. And,
754
00:44:26.059 --> 00:44:27.900
you know, your cat might like this one or it
755
00:44:27.960 --> 00:44:30.599
might like the other one. And they're very similar. Or
756
00:44:30.639 --> 00:44:33.780
you might want to rotate or pulse, you know, brands.
757
00:44:34.159 --> 00:44:37.650
Just like pulsing proteins, you know. Try someone else's because
758
00:44:37.710 --> 00:44:40.369
maybe if we're out of something, you might want to
759
00:44:40.409 --> 00:44:43.530
try a backup, you know. Absolutely. Yeah.
760
00:44:44.130 --> 00:44:44.909
No, this is great.
761
00:44:45.289 --> 00:44:48.130
Thank you so much for coming on. This has been awesome.
762
00:44:48.570 --> 00:44:50.719
Thank you for having me and thank you for the support.
763
00:44:50.940 --> 00:44:55.019
What you do for us is incredible. Thank you for
764
00:44:55.059 --> 00:44:57.820
supporting us in a bigger way as well. Absolutely.
765
00:44:58.039 --> 00:45:00.800
We believe in it. Well, that's going to do it
766
00:45:00.889 --> 00:45:03.130
for today's program. I want to say thank you to
767
00:45:03.190 --> 00:45:06.329
our great sponsors. Thank you to all the radio stations
768
00:45:06.469 --> 00:45:08.409
coast to coast for playing the show.
769
00:45:08.889 --> 00:45:10.730
And thank you to you for listening.
770
00:45:10.949 --> 00:45:13.079
I'm Tammy King and this is Pets Who Thrive Radio.
771
00:45:14.090 --> 00:45:17.369
Thanks for listening to Pets Who Thrive Radio with Tammy King.
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00:45:17.690 --> 00:45:22.980
For more information about today's program, we're online at petswhothriveradio.com,
773
00:45:23.139 --> 00:45:26.219
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774
00:45:26.300 --> 00:45:31.280
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775
00:45:31.599 --> 00:45:33.429
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