A local couple is expanding their fro-yo dog treat business. Photos courtesy of The Bear & The Rat.
Sometimes Fido needs some freeze-dried fro-yo.
Last year the husband-wife team of Matt and Meg Meyer went full-time with their dog treat startup, The Bear & The Rat.
The company, which the Meyers run out of their Longmont home, has been selling four flavors of chilled dog-safe frozen yogurt since 2011.
But frozen yogurt doesnât easily ship to eager pet owners.
Armed with $200,000 in fresh venture capital that the company raised this year through an investor, the pair launched their first freeze-dried yogurt for dogs.
âThis is a big deal because there is nothing for dogs out there on the market,â Meg Meyer said.
The new products donât need to be refrigerated and have less lactose than normal ice cream. But they still contain probiotics that are helpful to dogsâ digestion, Meyer said. And theyâre low-calorie, which means they can be used as training aids without packing on the pooch pounds.
A 2-ounce bag that contains 180 treat servings costs $10. The freeze-drying process sucks out all the moisture.
The new products will also let the company sell direct to consumers through Amazon with the two flavors, sweet potato carrot and bacon.
âOur other products are frozen, so we have done almost all our business B-to-B,â Meyer said. âWith freeze-dried yogurt, weâre looking to open up additional channels. Online is a big one, and we (also want to) add grocery into the mix. Right now we have a minimal amount of grocery retailers.â
The company is trying to get its fro-yo and freeze-dried treats onto more store shelves.
The new freeze-dried frozen yogurt is made in Illinois. The companyâs original frozen products are manufactured in Boulder.
The Meyers started the company in 2010 after noticing their dogs â nicknamed âthe Ratâ and âthe Bearâ â would get upset stomachs when slipped a normal ice cream treat.
So they created their product and started distributing around Colorado.
The couple, both 36, also got a boost in 2012 when they appeared on an episode of âShark Tankâ.
None of the investors on the show bit at their business, but that didnât surprise Meg Meyer, who had previous experience as a reality TV producer for shows on HGTV and the Food Network.
âWe were really thankful we werenât offered a deal,â she said. âWe met our angel investor right after. He looked us up after seeing the program.â
Meyer said the credibility from the show has helped get the product into pet industry distributors.
âIf we didnât have âShark Tank,â it would be a lot harder to acquire (large distributors),â Meyer said.
A local couple is expanding their fro-yo dog treat business. Photos courtesy of The Bear & The Rat.
Sometimes Fido needs some freeze-dried fro-yo.
Last year the husband-wife team of Matt and Meg Meyer went full-time with their dog treat startup, The Bear & The Rat.
The company, which the Meyers run out of their Longmont home, has been selling four flavors of chilled dog-safe frozen yogurt since 2011.
But frozen yogurt doesnât easily ship to eager pet owners.
Armed with $200,000 in fresh venture capital that the company raised this year through an investor, the pair launched their first freeze-dried yogurt for dogs.
âThis is a big deal because there is nothing for dogs out there on the market,â Meg Meyer said.
The new products donât need to be refrigerated and have less lactose than normal ice cream. But they still contain probiotics that are helpful to dogsâ digestion, Meyer said. And theyâre low-calorie, which means they can be used as training aids without packing on the pooch pounds.
A 2-ounce bag that contains 180 treat servings costs $10. The freeze-drying process sucks out all the moisture.
The new products will also let the company sell direct to consumers through Amazon with the two flavors, sweet potato carrot and bacon.
âOur other products are frozen, so we have done almost all our business B-to-B,â Meyer said. âWith freeze-dried yogurt, weâre looking to open up additional channels. Online is a big one, and we (also want to) add grocery into the mix. Right now we have a minimal amount of grocery retailers.â
The company is trying to get its fro-yo and freeze-dried treats onto more store shelves.
The new freeze-dried frozen yogurt is made in Illinois. The companyâs original frozen products are manufactured in Boulder.
The Meyers started the company in 2010 after noticing their dogs â nicknamed âthe Ratâ and âthe Bearâ â would get upset stomachs when slipped a normal ice cream treat.
So they created their product and started distributing around Colorado.
The couple, both 36, also got a boost in 2012 when they appeared on an episode of âShark Tankâ.
None of the investors on the show bit at their business, but that didnât surprise Meg Meyer, who had previous experience as a reality TV producer for shows on HGTV and the Food Network.
âWe were really thankful we werenât offered a deal,â she said. âWe met our angel investor right after. He looked us up after seeing the program.â
Meyer said the credibility from the show has helped get the product into pet industry distributors.
âIf we didnât have âShark Tank,â it would be a lot harder to acquire (large distributors),â Meyer said.
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