Hand-cooked dog food firm raises £10m for new Telford facility - and promises hundreds of jobs
A premium dog food subscription service has raised £10m for its business and will be moving to a new Telford premises - with the promise of hundreds of new jobs.
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Shrewsbury-based Different Dog said it has raised £10m, from new and existing investors, to develop its business.
Different Dog offers a personalised subscription service designed to make feeding fresh, nutritious meals easy for dog owners.
Customers start by providing details about their dog, including age, breed, activity level and dietary needs.
Based on this, Different Dog creates a tailored meal plan using fresh, hand-cooked, human-grade ingredients.
The firm said the new funding would allow it to move to a "new state-of-the-art facility" in Telford - pointing to the town's accolade as the 'Dog Capital of the UK',
It added that it would help create around 250 jobs in the area.
The company said the move to Telford will expand its capacity to serve "thousands more dogs with its hand-cooked, human-grade meals".
The firm said it is also investing in marketing to grow its customer base and "hiring top talent to accelerate growth".
Founded in 2017 by husband-and-wife duo Charlie & Alex Thurstan, Different Dog was born out of their frustration with the mass-produced, highly processed nature of pet food.
Determined to prove that fresh, nutritious meals are the key to canine health and happiness, the couple started by cooking meals for their own dog, Crumble.
Since then, the company has grown exponentially, now feeding over 18,000 dogs and employing over 100 people.
The company said the latest investment follows five consecutive years of revenue doubling year-on-year, fuelled by a "passionate, loyal and growing customer base".
The company has also earned a 4.8 Trustpilot rating and a 96 per cent score on leading dog food directory allaboutdogfood.com.
Alex Thurstan, co-founder of Different Dog, said: “More and more owners are seeking healthier options for their dogs, and seeing clear benefits from feeding hand-cooked fresh food. We’re delighted that this investment will help us take things to the next level and change even more dogs’ lives.”
James Connelly, founder of Charlie Oscar Group, a major shareholder and board director for Different Dog: "Different Dog is leading the way in pet nutrition, offering a fresh high-quality alternative to traditional pet food.
"With the growing demand for higher quality, more nutritious options for pets, we’re excited to support the team as they scale their operations and bring their innovative approach to even more dog owners."
