New fish-based dog food brand Woofs debuted its range at this year’s PATS Sandown event.
The brand was co-founded by Stewart Irvine, and began when one of his clients asked him to find opportunities to sell his fish skin products.
He trialled the products on a dog named Chewy, who was given several fish skins, which were “vigorously devoured”. From that point onward, the idea became a business.
Wild Ocean Omega3 Fish Snacks, trading as Woofs, was established in May of 2017. The two owners of the company, Stewart Irvine and David Judd, have previous experience in business.
Stewart has been in the seafood industry for over 30 years, trading and manufacturing all over the world. David has been in the logistics, administration and project management business.
The company’s mission is to bring healthy, sustainable and fun dog treats to market. It only uses MSC-accredited fish wherever possible, and its first three products are made from MSC-approved cod. The products were also manufactured in the UK.
The dog treats are from sustainably caught fish and processed under Woofs supervision in the UK.
Fish will remain the core constituent in Woofs’ treats and food in the future. The brand also has six new products in the pipeline.
Stewart Irvine, managing director, said: “This is the first time we have taken a stand at PATS and we found the show an ideal vehicle to introduce our new brand of fish snacks for dogs using fresh sustainable and ethically sourced fish products. We have met representatives from various sectors of the industry and we are very optimistic for our brand’s expansion and new exposure to the industry.”
