Northampton Raw Dog Food soars out of limbo with profit rises 'week-on-week' in newly found premises

Local business Northampton Raw Dog Food is now soaring out of limbo with 30 per cent profit rises 'week on week' in their newly found premises.

After months of uncertainty last year, the business, which gives an Iceland-style offering of raw meat for pets, finally landed a spot in Unit Two of Pan Freight Depot, NN5 6NU, in February after leaving their original site in Bilsworth.

Site holders were previously reluctant to let the pet project in, misunderstanding it as some sort of abattoir or other messier affair. But after this paper showed the true nature of their work, the business' founder Zena Taylor said they had no shortage of new offers.

The home-grown entrepreneur said: "It's just been a massive weight off our shoulders because we were getting to a stage where we had to get a new site, but we really didn't know where we were going to go or what we could do.

"We were shocked. We had people literally asking 'what do you need?' People we had never met before came from all across the county and it was just brilliant.

"People were offering us their outhouses and outbuildings, estate agents started ringing us up. It was amazing."

Northampton Raw Dog Food has grown rapidly since Zena started it in 2017. Inspired by the lack of raw-feeding options for her own dogs, the entrepreneur started out with just two freezers in the back of her husband's then-carpet shop.

After expanding to fill the entire business, Zena was forced to look for even larger premises as demand rapidly outstripped the supply they could hold.

Now with a site four times the size, standing at a lofty five thousand square feet, the 'Iceland for pets' now employs a total of 12 workers. This includes hiring their own driver to deliver meat right across the county in a company-branded van.

Zena said: "Our new site is four times the size of our last one, so there is so much more we can do now. We've even bought an Italian-style coffee machine for the customers, so they can go for a nice walk around Holston Firs, especially on Saturday mornings.

"Now we've been able to hire two more local people, which is great, and we have so much more space. If you have a favourite meat or treat in mind, now we never run out. Profit-wise we've seen about 30 per cent growth week-on-week since we reopened in February.

"We've also expanded to raw-feeding for cats and lizards as well, where before we could only accommodate dogs.

"Because it's a lot bigger, in the early days it felt a bit quieter than before. There was a concern that we might lose customers if we moved and that people might not know where we went. But then we'd look in the till at the end of the day and see we've been very busy indeed."

Success has not been limited to sales alone. According to the business-founder, "well respected breeders" including those from national dog show "Crufts" have already placed orders, including those as far as the South of England after reading about them in this paper.

Some of the staff have also been invited to local vets to give lectures on the benefits of raw-feeding.

Zena said she could not be more happy with the results, saying that she now walks around the shop with "a big grin" as she sees her passion-project grow from strength to strength.

Anyone who is interested in the business or raw-feeding can find out more on their website or call on 01604 859 021.