Today, the world is undergoing a revolution in how we perceive pets- as a part of the family, and an essential ingredient to our well-being. For decades, each generation – millennials to seniors – has reshaped the meaning of pet relationships. Numbers are reflecting this growth. Several research analysts predict the pet care market will grow from 261 billion dollars in 2022 to 350 billion dollars by 2027. This shift can be attributed to the rise in double-income families, increasing nuclear households, urbanization, evolving lifestyles, and growing pet ownership.
One may observe that the increasing trend of pet adoptions is directly proportional to the intense competition in the pet care, pet food, and pet supplies space. Mass merchandisers capitalize on this market with high-volume sales while maintaining lower margins. This sector urges the design and development of various pet products and new mediums to connect with new customers, creating an advantageous scenario for a myriad of brands to penetrate the market and thrive on customers investing in ‘premium pet products’ now available in the market. However, to reach these customers at the level the pet-parent market is demanding, these mass-produced pet foods are of inferior quality and low nutritional value, ultimately affecting a pet’s health. There needs to be some sort of accountability from the vendor’s end.
Emily Roberts, VP of Marketing for Pet Wants, agrees, and has directed her focus to position Pet Wants as being a primary resource in animal health and wellness for pets and their owners with the Pet Wants array of artisanal pet foods and products.
A Company and a Cause
Pet Wants is stirring things up. The company is unique because its recipe includes high-quality ingredients, local ownership, customized nutritional consultations, and an unrelenting focus on freshness. Their method is easy – prioritize health and wellness over economics. “Pet Wants was established because of our true passion for pet health and wellness. The products that claimed to be healthy just didn’t meet the standards of our founders, and they were frustrated with the cost of going directly to a veterinarian when nutrition could solve their pet’s problems,” informs Emily.
She explains how the inception of Pet Wants came about when founders Michele Hobbs and Amanda Broughton noticed some severe skin and coat issues with their trio of beloved pets in 2010. Michele realized that they couldn’t provide the quality of life and care for their pets with the pet food products available. As dedicated pet parents, they wanted and expected more for their four-legged companions. After many frustrating trips to the veterinarian’s office and several thousand dollars spent with no improvement, they began to research causes and solutions for themselves. As is so common today, the culprit was the inadequate quality and low nutritional value of mass-produced pet food. They were shocked to learn that ‘premium/pro’ pet food advertisements on the front of large bags did not equal quality protein in the food. Additionally, the time between manufacturing and retail sales inherently created a long shelf life that sapped the food of its nutritional value
Getting Nutritional Food into your Pet’s Food Bowls Faster!
Pet Wants takes pride in producing fresh, healthy food every six weeks, getting it to your pet’s bowl in just 30-45 days. “Many companies claim to be fresh and healthy when the reality is their products have been sitting in warehouses aging for 12- 24 months before getting to the consumer. The quality of their food has significantly degraded. Pet food manufacturers most often care about their financial performance and the cost of ingredients and supply chain. The pet’s needs come in last. At Pet Wants, our key investment strategy is to ensure fresh, healthy, food reaches your pet quickly to maximize its full nutritional benefit,” opines Emily.
Offering Proven Expertise
A pioneer in the business space, Emily Roberts is a strong professional, skilled in integrative and digital marketing, corporate-community relations, brand management, relationship cultivation, public relations, and curating meaningful consumer engagement opportunities. Emily channels her collective 17 years of rich experience with multiple industries including, Retail, Media, Franchise, Education, Business Services, Banking, and Non-Profits to help build a better community today. She has been recognized for her professional impact and service to the Cincinnati community by the Business Courier’s Forty Under 40, as a finalist in the Legacy Awards Northern Kentucky, and as a member of the inaugural class of The Metropolitan Club’s, ‘Roebling Society.’
She elaborates on how she believes work is just another thread to the fabric of her life. She positively thrives under pressure while maintaining a calm element as circumstances may intensify. For her, this is an inherent skill. One she attributes to naturally seeing challenges and obstacles as opportunities. It is a talent she sharpens in her personal life, as well. As an avid hiker, runner, and adventure traveler, she constantly seeks the physical and mental challenges a mountain, a race, and the unknown terrain provide. Many often ask her what her favorite experience has been or place she has visited, her enthusiastic answer is always, “the next one! Thrusting yourself into the unknown is the greatest way to find out what you’re made of, and equally important, what you’re not. I find it to be the purest way to connect with me. Dedicating time to doing that and to learn more about myself only makes me a better leader, and team-builder.”
She approaches her team at Pet Wants as she does to comprise teams in ultra-racing. She explains, “There are many exceptional runners who were passed up to join these adventure race teams for those who had not ever run a mile in their life. They would have brought us to the finish line quicker, but wouldn’t have been a champion, supporter, or a source of positivity during the race. This was more important to me. Every team I have cultivated for these ultra-races has crossed the finish line, and we did it having had an experience of a lifetime we could share. This method translates seamlessly when working within any team. Become a student of each team member, champion their individual role, and guide each on how to build upon each other’s work to collectively cross the finish line.”
Staying Ahead of the Growth Curve
Taking all this positive energy, she envisions ultimately bridging the gap between pet owners and nutritional pet food/products by harnessing the power of improved analytics, advanced technologies, and enhanced marketing strategies. “My vision for the company is accelerated growth and continuous innovation in nutrition, technology, and marketing. We are driven by analytics and technology, which allows us to preserve and perpetuate our values. We are already growing at a dramatic rate because through proven improvements in pet health, we have earned the consumer’s vote. Consumer spending on Pet Wants as a brand is up by 44 percent in the last nine months,” says Emily.
The portfolio of products boasts of its unmatched quality owing to the team constantly innovating and ensuring the products are lab tested and consumer tested. In doing so, the company has established extraordinarily high standards for both its private label products and partner products. Pet Wants has a full-time focus and staff dedicated to nutrition, product management, and product innovation. The company believes in a hyper-local model for retail.
Pet Wants owners are not only pet lovers but also experts in pet health and wellness. “Many found us as customers first, and after seeing life-changing improvements in their pet’s health, decided they had to be a part of it,” says Emily. Once onboard, the owners receive extensive training related to nutrition, and many pursue higher education programs in addition to the ownership of their Pet Wants business. The community-based model allows the owners to tailor their go-to-market plans to the specific dynamics of their communities.
Improved Quality of Pet Life
She urges customers to educate themselves and to pay attention to the details, beyond the beauty of the packaging. Pet Wants owners, not advertisements, are the trusted source of nutritional information found in a pet’s food. “We have yet to see an advertisement from a big box brand that offers free, customized, one on one nutritional consultations solely for an individual pet. But, we do,” says Emily. “We encourage customers to leverage that.”
Commanding quite the market presence today, the Pet Wants private label product line is expanding rapidly to meet consumer demand. In parallel with the ever-evolving domain, Pet Wants has recently launched its R&D store fashioned to test new pet services, technology, and marketing to enhance and accelerate the franchise model. Simultaneously, the company is deploying new e-commerce technologies as well. “We have such a diverse and passionate ownership base, and we will continue to capture more owners to provide more locations for consumers,” declares Emily. Pet Wants is also being pursued by high net worth individuals, family trusts, and small investment groups interested in leveraging their assets in this dynamic industry and with a socially responsible company like Pet Wants.
Emily concludes with a bit of advice that she believes has helped to shape her and that continues to guide her in her career. “Be curious. Be a continuous student of your industry, your work, your customer, and the people around you. Then, apply those seeds of understanding and nuggets of knowledge to impact positive change and growth. When you do this, your professional growth and personal joy inherently follow.”
For More Info: https://www.petwants.com/