The Pack: Celebrities & Influencers Back London-Based Plant-Based Startup Looking To Disrupt Dog Food

The Pack has recently announced that it has successfully closed a pre-seed investment round for its new range of plant-based dog food. While the funding total is undisclosed, the round received support from high profile celebrities such as international footballer Chris Smalling and UK’s famous vegan celebrity chef duo Henry Firth and Ian Theasby, also known as BOSH!, among others.

The Pack is the brainchild of Damien Clarkson and Judy Nadel, who founded this brand to develop nutritious pet food using plant produce. They’re also the founders of Vevolution, which was created back in 2016 as an events and media company to support plant-based innovators who are focussed on creating plant-powered solutions for the future.

Pet parents across Europe have been crying out for a highly nutritious plant-based product. The opportunity to create a positive dietary shift for our furry friends is huge and we are excited to have so many incredible investors backing our vision of better food for pets

Damien Clarkson and Judy Nadel of Pet Pack

Tech entrepreneur and high profile vegan investor, Michiel van Deursen who also backed Vevolution, and product specialist Russell White, who is Nadel’s uncle, have joined them as co-founders.

Set to launch early this year, The Pack will offer three different flavoured ambient plant-based wet foods for dogs. These foods have been created by food scientists, pet food technologists, and pet nutritionists. 

The brand launch saw further support from former Liverpool and Hull footballer Kevin Stewart and Veganuary Co-founder Matthew Glover’s fund Veg Capital, which provides funding to plant-based and cultivated companies that are developing slaughter-free food substitutes.

In addition Capital V, and several startup founders including Kerstin Robinson of Nix & Kix, Stephanie Peritore of Mindful Bites, Olivia Wollenberg, Founder of Livia’s, and hospitality entrepreneur and influencer, Loui Blake invested in the round.

In a press release, Clarkson and Nadel spoke about the need to create planet-friendly products for pets. “Pet parents across Europe have been crying out for a highly nutritious plant-based product. The opportunity to create a positive dietary shift for our furry friends is huge and we are excited to have so many incredible investors backing our vision of better food for pets.’ 

Deursen spoke of the skyrocketing growth across the plant-based market that he witnessed up close through his own investments in the sector: “The one thing missing is pet food. Four-legged family members should also be able to have access to enjoy healthy, amazing, alternatives to meat rich diets. This is why I did not hesitate to join The Pack.”

Smalling, explained his reasons for supporting the company said: “This category is ripe for disruption and I’m so happy to be a part of The Packs journey to make it happen. The team has covered all bases within the product development process to make sure our four-legged friends are nutritionally well cared for and the brand they’re building is really exciting.”

Vegan chefs Henry Firth & Ian Theasby commented on their involvement with enthusiasm: “At BOSH!, we’ve seen the demand for vegan food continue to boom over the last five years – and that doesn’t stop when it comes to our pets.” 

The one thing missing is pet food. Four-legged family members should also be able to have access to enjoy healthy, amazing, alternatives to meat-rich diets. This is why I did not hesitate to join The Pack

Michiel van Deursen, Tech entrepreneur and Vegan Investor

Clarkson and Nadel were also behind Vevolution’s end 2020 virtual Pitch & Plant event, the first global edition of its animal-free investment competition where nine plant-based and cell-based food techs competed to win a minimum of US$200,000 in funding.

Consumers will be able to purchase The Pack’s plant-based pet products via the brand’s own website, as well as at several niche marketplaces such as online plant-based supermarket The Vegan Kind. Going forward, the company plans to expand fast and hit mass retail by Q2 2021.

As the demand for plant-based dog food increases, several companies are working to meet this demand effectively. San Francisco-based vegan dog food brand V-planet announced at the end of last year that its 100% plant-based kibble products are available in Japan for the first time. The brand’s cruelty-free kibble is made in Canada with vegan non-GMO ingredients such as peas, ground oats, brown rice, and potato protein.

Elsewhere, Bond Pet Foods, the Colorado-based biotech debuted its first cultivated chicken pet food prototype, grown using a chicken cell which was coupled with a strain of food grade yeast and produced via fermentation.

All images courtesy of The Pack.