You may be able to list a few key ingredients in your dog food, but chances are, you can’t recognize them. Chicken, carrots, sweet potatoes, are all blended and made into identical kibbles. Turns out, that’s not super healthy or fun for your pup, so Gabby Slome and the team at Ollie are looking to change that.
Can Ollie’s human grade dog food be eaten by humans? You bet. And it has! The Ollie team is taking the term dogfooding very literally. It’s not flavored for humans, but it’s the same stuff we eat, which is exactly the point. Dogs love it, and it’s having all kinds of positive impacts for pups of all kinds.
On this episode of Well Made, Stephan talks to Gabby about the growth of Ollie since they launched in October, the research that went into their design, and what insight she brought from her days at Primary, a kids e-commerce brand.
“I happen to think the best businesses aren’t necessarily the ones that sound sexy at the beginning.”
Most dogs in the U.S. are overweight and the culprit is actually not too different than obesity in people — convenience. Food that you buy in a 50 pound bag and keep in a bag for a month isn’t as good as the fresh stuff. So Ollie is bridging the convenience gap with regular deliveries of portioned dog food that looks just like what goes into it.
“We have the ability to relay information to you digitally, so we didn’t feel the need to clutter out packaging with tons of information.”
From her experience working with Primary in Marketing and Operations, Gabby knew the impact of creating a super memorable experience for new and returning customers to keep them excited about the brand.
By going into homes to see exactly what it looks like when people feed their dogs, the Ollie team kept the design minimal and bright. It’s easy to dish up, pleasant to use, and to eat. The whole experience, from unboxing to scooping, feels pleasant and well executed.
Some of the most innovative businesses these days aren’t sexy. They’re necessary. They’re filling a void you didn’t know existed, making something overlooked and fundamental better than you thought it could be. Ollie is one of those brands, and it’s not just making life better for you. It’s making life better for your pup.
Keep up with what comes next from Ollie on Instagram and Twitter.
You can find this and all future episodes on iTunes, Google Play, and here on the Lumi blog. This episode was edited by Evan Goodchild.
