7A – Testing the Hypothesis, Part 1

·        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

·        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.

·        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.

·        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.

·        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.

·        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.

·        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.