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Pet owners are unable to find local alternatives
to dog food that offer affordable, fresh, healthy, and customizable meal plans
for their dogs. While there are some alternatives on the market, high costs and
lack of immediate accessibility prevent people from using these options which
require the frozen food to be delivered to their homes.
o
The who: Pet owners
o
The what: they do not have healthy food options readily
accessible to feed their dog
o
The why: Lack of accessibility/options
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Testing the who: This need may be perceived more
strongly by owners of picky eaters. However, our market is really anyone with a
dog who wishes to feed them healthier foods while keeping costs down.
·
Testing the what: Most people are happy feeding
their dogs kibble or processed foods found at the supermarket. For these people,
switching their dog’s food is not a priority. Others, such as those who own finicky
dogs, or dogs that cannot take regular food due to health problems, will be
more open to trying our food.
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Testing the why: My best guess at why there isn’t
an affordable option that owners can use is the costs associated with making
the food. The overhead necessary might also be high because it requires
equipment. There is also the cost of hiring vet professionals to create the
food that can meet all nutritional needs a pet may have.
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Interview #1:
o
I interviewed my mother in law, a dog owner who
has previously expressed her desire to feed her dog a better diet. What I got
from our conversation is that she doesn’t use the options available such as “Ollie’s”
or “The Farmer’s Dog,” because these options would cost her over $100 weekly to
feed her 90-pound Siberian Husky. She spends around $180 monthly to feed her
dog, but she would be willing to pay a little more if it meant he would eat
better. She also acknowledges he is a picky eater and will sometimes go days
without eating, another reason why she’d be willing to pay a little more for
fresh food he would like.
·
Interview #2:
o
The next interview involved a friend who owns a
dog of her own, a 40-pound beagle of older age. She said she had never really
thought about feeding Lulu a better diet. Lulu is happy eating any type of food
and she’s for the most part healthy. However, she did acknowledge that as Lulu
gets older, she would be willing to invest a little more money in food that
could make her life easier and healthier, so she didn’t have to suffer in old
age.
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Interview #3:
o
The next person I interviewed involves someone
who is feeding their dog “Ollie’s,” a fresh food alternative that is delivered
to their home every month. The pet, a 14 pound extremely finicky schnauzer gets
to eat healthy fresh food every day. The cost, however, is $30 every week. In speaking
to this person, I found out they loved the idea of having a cheaper local alternative
to be able to reduce costs. Although they were extremely satisfied with the
food and the fact that it keeps their dog happy, healthy, and active, they acknowledge
that the costs feel a little too high.
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Interview #4:
o
I felt it necessary to interview someone who may
not currently have the monetary resources to feed their dog a better diet. The
next person is a 22-year-old college student living on limited income. They
said that while they loved the idea of being able to afford a better diet for
their dog, right now they probably wouldn’t pursue any option that would
increase her current costs.
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Interview #5:
o
The next person I interviewed is a neighbor that
owns a tiny yorkie that gets fed wet food every day. They said the thought of
switching food never crossed their mind because their dog is happy and healthy
eating the current food. They wouldn’t want to experiment with new food. Upon giving
them some more information, like the fact that the current food they’re giving
their dog could contain harmful chemicals or preservatives, they seemed
interested to hear more about the idea of fresh human grade food, though not
enough for them to seriously consider switching.
I believe in speaking to my five interviews that there is a
serious opportunity to exploit. Loving pet owners consider their dogs part of
their family and take their health seriously. I believe that if an affordable option
were to be introduced locally, many would be interested in trying it out.
Although some people (such as interviewee #5) would be less inclined to make
the switch, there may be ways to be persuade them. Again, the options are out
there but they are not cost effective. What we care most about here are
reducing costs so that pet owners are willing to give us their business.
The solution I would like to provide is a small local
business that provides fresh, healthy, refrigerated dog food for pet owners to
buy. People will be able to walk into a store and buy fresh food right then and
there. It will customize meal plans for owners based on their pet’s breed, age,
weight, activity levels, etc. They can choose how often they would like to
pick it up.
