Barnsley-based dog food business aims to win customers across UK

The Barnsley-based cold pressed dog food business Walker & Drake was launched in June by three Yorkshire-based friends ; Richard Grant, David Taylor and Tim Matthews.

The trio, all lifetime dog owners, saw an opportunity in the market to provide a high quality dog food with minimum processing.

Cold-pressed food involves minimal processing which locks the nutrients within the ingredients.

Available to buy online, Walker & Drake’s cold pressed food currently comes in three flavour varieties; Duck, Ocean Fresh and Chicken. All three are grain and gluten-free.

A spokesman said: "The Covid19 lockdown saw Walker & Drake initially launch online only, delivering directly to the customer’s home but the company is now quickly expanding its portfolio of independent stockists through a field sales team. Stockists range from pet shops and groomers to vets, garden centres and farm shops."

Richard Grant, co-founder, Walker & Drake.said: “We love our dogs and we have invested vast amounts of time and research about what’s good for them, but also convenient for us as their owners.

"As a nation of dog lovers, we’re becoming increasingly more aware of the manufacturing process involved in their food. Cold pressed dog food has minimal processing to lock in nutrients and make it tasty and healthy for the dog, and easy to serve up for the owner."

Mr Grant added: “It’s also increasingly important to customers that they support a British company, and some have told us that they’ve only just realised their existing dog food is made abroad.

"Lockdown has created a more local mindset and people have had more time to research the products they use and so they’re actively looking for food that’s made in the UK. This combined with the growth in dog ownership has meant a strong start to the business.”

Based in Barnsley, Mr Grant and Mr Taylor have previously owned a successful display graphics company which they sold, while Mr Matthews was sales director of one of the largest bus manufacturing companies in the UK.

Mr Matthews, the company's sales director, said he is feeling buoyant about the months ahead.

He said: “We’re currently developing another flavour of the cold pressed food and we are working on a range of innovative dog treats too."

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