Rùn (pronounced Roon) means ‘with purpose’ in Gaelic, and this new eco brand is living up to its name with the launch of a complete, cold-pressed dry dog food.
The premium UK-made brand is available to stock in 7.5Kg and 15Kg as well as a 25kg eco-friendly bag exclusive to trade customers. Offering a point of difference for potential stockists wanting to embrace the zero-waste trend where customers can fill their own containers, this sales method meets a growing consumer trend.
Rùn is also grain-free with single protein and fat sources and uses some of the greenest packaging available – paper.
Lucy Millar, Rùn’s founder, developed the brand with a focus on quality but also to tackle the environmental cost of pet food packaging. With nine million dogs kept as pets in the UK, Lucy says plastic pet food packaging is a huge problem. Across the UK dog population, that could equate to more than 12 million plastic pet food bags heading to land-fill. However, Rùn’s packaging is more than a little different.
TICKED ALL THE BOXES
“Our packaging is made of 100% paper – recyclable, compostable and biodegradable, even in the 25 kg retailer sacks,” she said. “We went on quite a journey looking for the greenest available option that achieved the environmental standards we were aiming to reach.
“Our evaluation showed the technology just isn’t there yet on bioplastic or compostable packaging, with bioplastics still very difficult to dispose of responsibly, and the vast majority of compostable packaging requiring temperatures that are only found at industrial composting facilities. Paper, on the other hand, ticked all the boxes.”
Rùn’s environmentally-friendly ethos includes a focus on the nutritional value of its diet.
Lucy explained: “We are one of the first brands to offer cold pressed dog food made locally in the UK to reduce food miles. There would be little point in using a gentle cooking method to preserve the nutrients, if we didn’t put as much thought into the ingredients too, so Rùn is grain-free and uses only single source proteins and fats. This is a great dry food alternative to feeding raw.”
A clear fit for zero-waste shops, Rùn is also an accessible product for independent pet stores looking to develop their eco category. In fact, this green product is made and supplied fresh in small batches and Rùn Dog Food has no plans to hit the grocery chains.
INDEPENDENT
Lucy says she strongly believes that Rùn should support and develop relationships with like-minded independent businesses. The company can also provide advice about implementing a zero-waste set up in-store.
The product recipe has been developed in consultation with a leading canine nutritionist, using only natural ingredients and meat is the No.1 ingredient. The current variety is Chicken and Sweet potato and a fish variety will launch in the coming weeks.
“Customers can rest assured that they are feeding an innovative, carefully-balanced diet to their pet, without the nagging guilt of adding to plastic pollution with their packaging,” Lucy continued. “We even have trees planted for every sale, to help off-set the need to use paper.”
Rùn Dog Food is available in 7.5kg (RRP £38.70) and 15kg bags (RRP £63), as well as a 25kg sacks.
