A natural dog treats company established is already gearing up for growth, having established a loyal national client base and completed more than 200 shipments in its first six months of business.
The Deli Dog Box Company, based in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, was founded by entrepreneur Chris Dye and his partner Tracey who also runs a doggie day-care and home boarding business.
Passionate about providing healthy snacks and treats to the dogs in their care, the duo were inspired to launch the product range – consisting of entirely organic, natural ingredients – after noticing that much of what was on the market had a negative impact on the animals’ gut health.
Having gone through the product development process, they then applied for a Kickstart grant from UKSE – a business that invests in start-ups and SMEs in steel towns across the UK.
Sales got off to a great start, fuelled in part by the surge in pet ownership following the pandemic.
Chris said customers quickly turned to Deli Dog Box for their pet food orders as they were impressed with the high protein, gluten-free and allergen-free treats. A number of customers were also attracted to the range thanks to its natural, organic, and eco conscious status.
The business is now on track to make £10,000 profit by the end of its first year.
Chris commented: “There is always a lot of talk about food products that are healthy and environmentally friendly for humans, but many of our customers care just as much about what their pets are eating.
“The Deli Dog Box products come in 100% eco-friendly packaging and are also sourced from ethical suppliers in the European Union.
“When we first launched the business we marketed our product range locally, and that is where most of our customers are. But word of mouth has really worked wonders for us and as we are an online business, we are now shipping all over the UK.”
Since the lifting of lockdown restrictions, the team has regularly attended events to further bolster sales, using part of the UKSE Kickstart grant to pay for a presence at local markets and to produce marketing banners.
The Deli Dog Box is now looking to expand into new premises and hire a number of staff in order to progress its ambitions to launch a subscription service for new and repeat customers.
“We’re excited to expand and grow over the coming years, and see how the business can flourish, it’s proved really popular so far especially amongst the younger generations,” said Chris.
“We’re really thankful to UKSE for the funding they have provided towards our business. It has helped us with costs of marketing materials, as well as helping to get back into going to local markets and being able to promote our products. We’re really excited to see where Deli Dog Box takes us now we’ve got ourselves up and running.”
Steve Lyon, UKSE’s regional executive for Yorkshire, Humberside and the Midlands, commented: “It’s fantastic to see The Deli Dog Box Company continue to build on its customer base not only in the four counties that surround the company’s head office in Gringley on the Hill, but also much further afield.
“Founding a start-up is hard at the best of times, but starting a new business in the height of the pandemic will no doubt have been particularly challenging so the company’s success to date is really testament to the hard work that both Chris and Tracey have put in.
“We are delighted to have been able to provide some funding to allow them to drive awareness of the product range, and we are very much looking forward to keeping in touch and seeing how the business continues to grow over the coming months and years.”
