Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisa Hennessy.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Lisa. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I started making dog food about 8 years ago when my rough collie Shelby was diagnosed with a degenerative disease. Working closely with my vet, we found a specialized recipe that was created to help slow the progression of her disease. I started small, making just a few meals at a time as I was unsure if she would like the food. Well, let me tell you – she gobbled it up! The food did help slow down the disease progression. She ate like a queen! My other dogs started looking at me like, what are we? Chopped liver? So again working with my vet, we created a few different recipes for them. Now, the whole house was happily eating like canine royalty.
I continued to make food for my dogs while working full time. We knew it could be a great idea for a business, but working 60+ hours per week left little time to pursue it. About 5 years ago I lost my job and figured it was a great time to give this idea a go.
Our food recipe catalog has expanded over the years but is still based on the principles I worked on with my vet when we were trying to help Shelby. We now help all sorts of dogs eat their way to better health. Some of those dogs have health concerns and some just have parents that want them to eat a healthy diet.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Definitely not! When we first launched as a company, I attended a small trade show. I brought my food and some specialty meals. All things my dogs loved and I thought looked good and presentable. We did not sell one thing! People looked, but that was it. Boy was that an eye opener! I had to really go back to the drawing board and figure out how to present my food so that the people would buy it. I knew the dogs would love it, but unfortunately, most of them do not have credit cards.
A couple of months later I had created our “food bars” and attended another local trade show. We sold out! I knew I had something then and have continued to build off of that success to this day.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Your Pet Chef – what should we know?
Your Pet Chef makes personalized dog food and treats. Our specialty is creating diets for dogs suffering from various health concerns like kidney or heart disease, cancer, liver conditions, or allergies. We also create meal plans for healthy dogs so they can stay that way!
Our food is made into “bars” that makes serving a breeze. We’ve eliminated the need to measure and scoop. We vary our ingredients to prevent boredom for the pups and people. We deliver and even stock your freezer!
I’m most proud of helping dogs live really long lives. We have some 15 year pit bulls and an almost 15 year old husky. I’m also proud when we can help a dog live a more normal life. For example, several client canines never really had a solid bowl movement before eating our food. Now, they live just like other dogs and their parents are no longer worrying about accidents or dehydration. This makes me very happy.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I have to thank my dogs first as they are always my biggest cheerleader. They love everything I make and are always willing to help in the kitchen in any way they can!
My husband is also very supportive. It was a big change in our lives when I started this company and he pitches in and helps which I really appreciate. My family has also been great. I’m fortunate enough to have siblings that are willing to listen or talk tough when I need it.
Our clients are incredible and I learn from them each week. We’ve created new products based upon their requests and fine-tuned our products to make their lives easier.
Pricing:
- We offer a sampler package of food for $10 so you and your pup can try it out.
Contact Info:
- Website: yourpetchef.com
- Phone: 8889584088
- Email: info@yourpetchef.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourpetchef/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/YourPetChef/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Yourpetchef
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