Business View Magazine | August 2020

65 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE AUGUST 2020 pet food store in Burlington Ontario. “They were selling only raw food and they reached out to us and said they’d like to sell our raw dog food in their store. That was new to us; we said okay and we started selling in a pet store. And we’ve brought in a lot more stores since then.” In fact, today, Big Country Raw can be found in over 700 stores across Canada and the company has over 100 employees, with Rob running production and operations and Geraldine in charge of marketing and development. The company offers over 13 protein choices and a huge selection of raw meaty bones, treats, cooked meatloaves, and dehydrated supplements for a raw diet that provides a range of benefits that commercially-processed pet foods can’t match. Dogs and cats on a raw food diet have softer, shinier coats that shed less; they produce less fecal waste; they scratch and tear-up less; and they have less chronic ear infections, fresher-smelling breath, improved bladder and kidney function, and increased energy and attention spans. In addition, raw fed dogs and cats have generally more resilient immune systems, making them less prone to viruses and bacteria that make them sick and prompt more visits to the vet. Geraldine adds that in a competitive marketplace, what helps differentiate Big Country Raw from other brands is that the company is involved in all elements of the business. “We make a raw pet food diet and we are also distributors as well as retailers of our own products,” she notes. “Most pet food companies use a pet food distributor company to get their product to market and that increases the price of their product. And when we moved out into the market, there weren’t any distributors that offered frozen or raw food distribution; pet food was primarily shelf-stable – canned or dried. So, we bought our own fleet of trucks to bring the product to pet retailers, ourself. We’re able to offer our premium product at a more affordable price because we deliver the product to the door. We’re also getting into B IG COUNTRY RAW