#154 Humans Should Eat So Well - Kate McCarron, Portland Pet Food

Meaningful Marketplace Podcast

Continuing our check in with previous show guests, Sarah Marshall talks today with Katie McCarron Founder of Portland Pet Food. Our last show with Katie was January 8, 2020 (episode #14) and to refresh our audience on her background story, Portland Pet Food began with the family Poodle, Rosie. At 14 years, Rosie had lost her appetite and her health declined. Determined to find something healthy that Rosie would love, Katie began cooking meals for her at home. She used locally-sourced, natural ingredients, and Rosie loved it. She regained her appetite and stayed strong for two and a half more years, living to 16 ½ years old! Just like that, Portland Pet Food Company was born. All products are human grade, no preservatives, hormones or meat by-products. Only natural and local meats, vegetables and grains are sourced. All meals and toppers are packaged in slim pouches that need no refrigeration. The company also produces baked goods for dogs and cats. Since our pre-COVID show with Katie, the company has added a couple of new lines to the product mix, but the most popular item continues to be the beef and rice dish originally served to Rosie the Poodle. The lockdown caused huge problems with the supply chain, hitting many industries hard and the pet food industry in particular. However, PPFC sources its ingredients locally, so they had a big advantage over other pet food purveyors. Not only that, but cans were in short supply during the lockdown as well. There again, advantage PPFC; the company packages it’s meals in pouches and the pouch supply did not suffer. The company also had the advantage of being an essential business, so they could remain open, but of course, people had to be protected. And during the lockdown, they managed to get by with no COVID cases. The company was also counter to the lockdown trend, its business growing instead of shrinking. However, expanding during the lockdown was tricky to navigate. The kitchen with which they started was small and volume got to be overwhelming. They added a second location, with their office still in a third location, and inventory, production and keeping track of everything became a nightmare. That challenge was solved when they moved into their current, 15,000 square foot building where they can maintain better control. Of course, there’s always a trade-off: The larger facility is a larger financial commitment which has added another challenge to the business. Plus, wheeling and dealing with distributors and grocery stores is a daunting task and finding the people with whom you can trust and do business with in the long haul is never easy. Katie and company also learned much about promoting their products in the last years. They used to promote all products at the same time and have learned to be more selective about both timing and products to promote. They enjoy store locations in both the entire US and much of Canada, a testament to their quality and the loyalty of pet lovers everywhere. They also enjoy a strong consumer direct business as you can see when you visit their website: https://portlandpetfoodcompany.com/. Follow them on: Twitter - @portlandpetfood Instagram - @portlandpetfood Facebook – IG @portlandpetfood. Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall.

Thank you for Listening to The Meaningful Marketplace Podcast with your hosts, Sarah Masoni of Oregon State University's Food Innovation Center and Sarah Marshall, owner of Marshall's Haute Sauce. Connect with us on Instagram @meaningfulmarketplacepodcast.

Audio engineer, mixer, and podcast editor: Haley Bowers
Show logo was designed by Anton Kimball of Kimball Design
Production Coordinator: Kayleen Veatch