Following an emotional journey with her dog Nelson, VegDog founder Tessa Zaune-Figlar solved his problems by creating a well-balanced, plant-based dog food. Now the company’s Executive Partner and CCO is joining us to tell us their story.
Joey Thurman: Everyone knows that dogs need to eat meat for a well-rounded diet, right? Not quite. According to a study published by BMC Veterinary Research, beef, chicken and dairy products are among the top food allergies for dogs. Now, these allergies leave pet parents searching for a solution, and plant-based dog food company, VegDog, is helping them find just that. Joining us now as Tessa and Valerie, the companies co-founders. Ladies, thanks for being here. Let's start. There's a pretty emotional story of why VegDog started, and can you tell us about that?
Tessa: Yes, of course. Lucky to be here. Thank you. My dog, Nelson, he suffered from several and very strong food allergies. And back then, my vet suggested cutting all ingredients that come from animals, which means to feed him a vegan diet. I was skeptical at first because you know dog, wolf and all this, but I wanted to try everything out to help Nelson. And my vet, she gave me vegan recipes for complete dog food, and after four weeks of cooking, he was free from all symptoms.
For me, this came close to a miracle, because I had been searching for years for the right treatment for Nelson, but didn't find anything. I was cooking it the first time, and it's very, very time consuming, so when I was looking for already made dog food, I couldn't find anything on the market that was actually complete food.
Because I knew that there are many, many other owners and dogs in a similar situation like I was, I decided to start VegDog, the first complete vegan dog food, and the goal was and still is, actually, to create products that are healthy and help dogs like Nelson, because I know that a dog needs protein and not the meat, and he needs nutrients and not the meat, and this can be provided on a vegan diet. And yes, this is VegDog's story, basically.
Joey Thurman: That's great. I'm glad your dog is taken care of and that you found that. It's nice to have a story behind the product. How do you make sure that your products provide a fully balanced nutritional breakdown for our pets?
Tessa: For us, this is one of the most important points, actually, because we feed the food to our dogs every day, so we work closely together with veterinarians that are specialized in nutrition and with whom we develop recipes that provide the dog with all the essential nutrients they need. And to ensure that the sufficient nutrients will be supplied, we do analysis on specialized laboratories, and therefore, we know that our diets include all the minerals, vitamins, amino acids, fatty acids that are needed for dogs.
And furthermore, we also exclude all the main allergens for dogs. Like you said before, there are many allergens, and we always aim to include the latest research in the development of our product. This is basically how we work, and we just see a very big development in research right now, which makes us very, very happy.
Joey Thurman: Yeah. Just like humans, our four-legged friends need healthy food, as well. Now, there are some other plant-based dog food companies on the market right now. What makes your product specifically unique?
Tessa: Due to the founding story of VegDog, we produce food that we gladly feed our own dogs. Therefore, the quality standards are very, very high. It's like you're feeding your baby. Furthermore, carefully calculated recipes and voluntary analysis of all our products ensure the sufficient nutrient intake, and we aim to produce locally and choose environmental friendly and sustainable packaging. For example, we invented the first vegan dog food in a tetra pack.
And apart from that, we support animal welfare projects. Last year, for instance, we rescued a flock of sheeps from being slaughtered, and they live with us now, with our team, with our VegDog team. And for us, the animal welfare goes far beyond our own product.
Joey Thurman: That's nice. You're taking care of dogs and sheeps and probably everything between. Now, right on your packaging, you have the slogan, "Do good, feed better." What's the inspiration there?
Valerie: First of all, our priority is the wellbeing and the health of our dog, like the history of VegDog shows already. And this means, like Tessa said, that we are working with specialized vets, for example, and that we are producing with the highest quality standards in Germany, and also we do extensive research, and this is really the center of our company. And this is put into words with feed better, so really better and not only good.
And we put the "do good" before, because we say that this is really the revolution of the innovation with our product, that we say, nowadays, we are capable of producing dog food that not only brings a healthy diet for the dog, but also reduces emissions, and waste and especially it helps all kinds of animals. Not only the dog. Yeah, this is the story behind our slogan.
Joey Thurman: Yeah, that's perfect. We are what we eat and absorb, and the same thing with the animals. Now, your company was a finalist for the 2021 International V-Label Awards. How did your participation with that event help you to grow within the plant-based industry?
Valerie: So, first of all, we were very happy to participate at the International V-Label Award, and for us, it was really very inspiring and a motivating event, because we saw what is happening out there, that really, vegan is the future, and it helped us also to connect to other great businesses and proved, like I said, once more than veganism is not a trend anymore, it's the future, and that we are on the right path, actually. And to also see not only new innovation, but also the bigger company that are transforming themselves. For example, Carrefour [inaudible 00:07:07] in Germany, so we could connect to them and show if we can work together.
Joey Thurman: That's great. Yeah. It's definitely not a trend anymore. Now, where can people find your products?
Valerie: We offer all of our products on our own web shop, so it's VegDog.de. And we also offer subscription models here, so people can create an automatic order for every month for a smaller price. And we have also a search page on our website that shows where you can find our products with wholesalers or retail shops. There's a number in Germany already. For example, the best known is the drug store, the M Doggery, where you could find our snack, the Dentals.
Joey Thurman: Excellent. Thank you so much for joining us today, Tessa and Valerie. Now, the International V-Label Awards are accepting applicants for their 2022 awards through the end of June, so there's still a few days left to get your company in the running. Don't miss out and apply online today.