Pet Food Firm Takes Big Bite Into Overlooked Market Niche

Werner Forster realized four years ago that the market lacked high-quality, natural health products for pets. Forster, who had spent a decade in the human natural health foods industry, believed that he could fill the void and reach a segment of the $22-billion pet industry not targeted by the big pet food producers. Formulating human-grade products and marketing them on price, comfort and convenience has paid off for Forster and his investors, a group of fellow pet owners. He was interviewed by freelance writer Karen E. Klein.

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I was working for companies that made dietary supplements for adults, and I got together with a group of entrepreneurs and lifelong pet owners who noticed that very few pet products offered what we were looking for. We conducted some initial analyses and found that we could create less-adulterated, natural products, formulated for animals, that would appeal to the consumers who bought these products for themselves.

We knew we had a viable market. There are 60 million dogs in the United States, and their owners spend $10 billion annually to feed them, $22 billion on food, supplies, services and veterinary treatment.

The big pet companies dominate all the mainstream sales channels, but they produce a certain type of product that doesn’t specifically target the narrow pet market that we focus on. For them to develop a product that may appeal to 10% of their customers is not worth it, but for a small company like ours, that’s a very nice slice of the pie.

We developed Dancing Paws, a pet nutrient system that consists of all-natural dietary supplements and remedies that address the most common concerns of pet owners: coat and flea protection; wellness, longevity and digestion; behavior balance; and joint health and mobility. We’re trying to take care of animals in the same way that we take care of ourselves, with multivitamins and preventive remedies.

From the beginning, we targeted the organic, whole foods industry with our products. We started getting placement in health stores and natural foods stores because I had an existing knowledge of those retailers that made it easier.

We can’t possibly compete with the huge pet food companies, but we can do things they can’t, like going directly to consumers through pet rescue groups and pet awareness events as well as human health events. We speak directly with pet owners and consumers, so that gives us frequent connections with our clients.

The natural foods markets are on the cutting edge of consumer foods, human or animal, and when new concepts come into the marketplace, they most probably come from that segment. Because we have to compete there, where manufacturing and development and packaging are all top-notch, we make everything about our products the highest quality.

In February 1998, eight months after we started, we became the best-selling natural pet product brand in the whole foods stores and we continue to hold that position today with only minimal marketing. Our next challenge is to spring into more mainstream channels.

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If your business can provide a lesson to other entrepreneurs, contact Karen E. Klein at the Los Angeles Times, 1333 S. Mayflower Ave., Suite 100, Monrovia, CA 91016, or at kklein6349@aol.com. Include your name, address and telephone number.

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At a Glance

Company: Dancing Paws

Owners: Dean Ziehl, Richard Pachalski, Marie Collins, Werner Forster

Nature of business: Produces natural supplements and remedies for dogs and cats.

Location: Pacific Palisades

Founded: 1997

Employees: 11

Annual revenue: $3.9 million