For people who get a lot of enjoyment from their dogs, there”™s now a little more Joy to be had.
Norwalk”™s Joy Food Co., that is ”“ specifically, a new line of meal mix-ins, Joy Toppers, designed to boost the nutritional benefits of their current food.
“They grew out of our wanting not to make our subscriptions an ”˜all or nothing”™ situation,” founder Tom Arrix said. “What we really want to do is improve wellness for dogs everywhere.”
That”™s in keeping with Joy”™s prime modus operandi, which involves a direct-to-consumer model much like that offered by Blue Apron, HelloFresh and the like ”“ the main difference being, of course, that the meals have been created by vet nutritionists for canine consumption.
Joy uses fresh ingredients like ground turkey, broccoli, apples and fish oil, the benefits of which Arrix and his team ”“ which includes Dr. Sarah Abood, one of the founders of Pet Recipe Designers, and Rebecca Remillard, founder and president of Veterinary Nutritional Consultations Inc. ”“ believe parallel those experienced by their human counterparts who also choose their comestibles carefully.
Subscribers first fill out a profile of their dog ”“ age, weight, activity level, and so on ”“ as well as their pup”™s preference (if any) of flavors. Weekly subscriptions ”“ 14 pre-portioned meal pouches ”“ for small dogs (10-20 pounds) average around $32 a week, while those for large dogs (over 55 pounds) can cost $60 to $90, depending upon breed, Arrix said.
We try to make it economically sensible for everyone,” he added.
The inspiration for Joy Food came about a year and a half ago, when Cooper, one of the Arrix family”™s golden retrievers, was diagnosed with lymphoma.
“I talked with a holistic oncologist, Kendra Pope, who highlighted the impact that fresh ingredients and nutrients can have,” Arrix recalled. “On her recommendation, that night we fed Cooper exactly what we were having for dinner.”
While Cooper ultimately succumbed, Arrix said he lived for 15 months, well beyond what his diagnosis had indicated.
The experience got Arrix ”“ a former vice president of marketing at Facebook ”“ thinking about going into the nutritional dog food business. “It wasn”™t about just starting to sell dog food,” he said, “but about creating a wellness experience, and educating our customers ”“ the dogs”™ moms and dads ”“ about what they can do to positively affect the wellness of the family pet.”
Going the subscription route was also preferable to brick-and-mortar retail, he said, not only because of the perishability of Joy”™s products but also because “you can build incredible relationships with your customers this way.”
Joy”™s customer care extends to answering questions from subscribers in as timely a manner as possible, noted Alexandra Rogers, director of marketing and customer experience. “If we don”™t have the answers, we can connect them with a service that”™s able to guide them through their problems,” she said. “It”™s kind of troubleshooting for dogs. We try to respond very quickly. The big companies can take 24 to 48 hours to give you an automated response.”
Joy”™s deliveries are restricted to Connecticut, and particularly Fairfield County, for the moment, the better to guarantee 1-2 day delivery, Arrix said. He anticipates growing its delivery area throughout the northeast this year, and foresees a time when Joy is a national concern, with manufacturing plants scattered across the country.
“But we still have a lot of work ahead of us before that,” he said.
