Frequently asked questions
1) Where can I place my order?
For White label: We are accepting orders in September 2024 however you may pre-submit your label, pouches and carton/tray designs for a more streamlined service.
For Private label: Accepting recipes design requests now! We urge you to work with us as soon as possible to start the development process as this will guarantee your product is ready for mass production when our factory is set-up in End 2024. You will have first rights to production space in 2025 if you have worked with us for the development part of your product. Contact us for a private label development proposal.
2) Do you help with product development?
We are working in collaboration with Massey University and can develop your product in our own R&D facilities. The set-up is an exact miniature replica of our full-scale factory and will ensure ease of transition to full-scale production. The other advantage of this is your product can be put onto our preliminary production list for 2025 which means you have first rights to place orders in our initial production year!
3) Are there any product delays of product registration overseas?
As you may be aware, the Chinese customs for petfood is particularly thorough. They require specific checks and balances with additional certifications for EACH individual product line being shipped into China, the longest being the MOA/MARA certification for complete and balanced petfood. MOA registration in China will take 4-6months SKU in addition to recipe development time.
Alternative options to speed up Chinese market entrance:
-Proceed with our gourmet range recipes that do not contain vitamins or minerals so are not complete and balanced, therefore do not require registration.
- Your product can go into the Chinese market via e-commerce (which would not require certification) however your cost per can will increase due to service levies applied by various e-commerce zones in China. This option is ideal to market test your product.
4) What is the key difference between a cat and a dog when it comes to nutritional needs?
As cats are obligate carnivores, they have unique nutritional requirements that differ from dogs, who like us, are omnivores.
Cats have a higher protein requirement than dogs, at least one-third of a healthy adult cat’s diet should consist of protein. There are also some known essential amino acids that must be supplied by the diet. Cats have 12 essential amino acids required in their diet; dogs have 11. Our recipes are formulated to provide all these requirements.
Our complete and balanced recipes are all tested to meet AAFCO nutritional requirements. We insist on using only grain-free high protein compounds in our recipes.
5) What type of tests do you perform to ensure the recipe is the most palatable?
To make sure we are confident our recipes are palatable to pets, we’ve carried out a series of feeding trials. We use a ‘two bowl’ test, where several pets are each presented with 2 options: Our recipes vs existing market brands.
The bowl positions are swapped each day to ensure there’s no bias to one side. From this we can analyse which option each pet selected first and which option they consumed the most of, so we can be sure that pets love our product!
6) Will you help with the China product registration?
This area is our forte. Registration of pet food products in China requires several steps that need to be coordinated with our agent based in China. We can and will assist with the process, and provide you with a package quote.
The registration process can take up to 6 months. We will cover MOA/MARA required tests and will include this in our package deal, however all testing/registration costs associated with market entry will need to be paid upfront.