28 | Otago Pet Foods T T Russell Fredric Foods created to keep pets healthy Production has shifted well beyond basic meat products, with growing demand for specialised recipes and limited ingredient diets tailored to pets with allergies and sensitivities. REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT When dogs kept arriving at Kim Thom’s grooming business with skin irritations and food allergies, it sparked an idea that would eventually become Otago Pet Foods. Founded by Kim and Matt Thom in 2012, the business has grown from a garage-based start-up into a specialised pet food manufacturer employing than 35 staff in Mosgiel and nine in Christchurch. In addition to turning wild game, such as rabbits, possums and deer, into specialised pet food, Otago Pet Foods also provides stock removal services for farmers throughout the lower South Island and beyond. “Our journey really started because we were seeing so many dogs coming in with skin allergies and issues related to poor-quality kibble food,” Kim says. The couple recognised that many pets are treated as being part of the family, and Kim’s background in dog grooming combined with Matt’s hunting experience helped shape the business. “That got us looking into raw feeding and how we could create products that gave people better options for their pets,” says Kim. As the business grew, Matt and Kim also identified a gap in dairy cow removal services, alongside opportunities to utilise wild game. “Taking pests like possums and rabbits that are a problem in the New Zealand environment turns them into something useful.” Initially, the focus centred on simple, meatbased products, such as beef mince, bones, chicken carcasses and offal, produced from the family garage while the couple navigated strict MPI requirements. “It was quite challenging getting started,” Kim says. “MPI compliance was huge. There were pages and pages of paperwork before we could even get the business off the ground.” As volumes increased, the business steadily outgrew a series of facilities, first relocating beneath Kim’s former Mudpuppy grooming business, then into the former Bezette’s Butchery building in Green Island before eventually moving into its current Mosgiel processing plant. “We’d outgrown the old space and needed more room to process the growing number of animals coming through,” Kim says. Following the purchase of a Christchurch pet food company previously owned by a friend, which still trades under its original name, Otago Pet Foods now employs 30 staff in Mosgiel, and 15 in Christchurch Production has shifted well beyond basic meat products, with growing demand for specialised recipes and limited ingredient diets tailored to pets with allergies and sensitivities. The company now produces grain-free and novel protein foods using ingredients including venison, rabbit, horse and fish, alongside additions such as green-lipped mussels for ageing dogs with joint issues. 03 455 5206 South Canterbury | Otago | Central Otago | Southland Pleased to be supporting Otago Pet Foods Our Dunedin based company is large enough to provide all your packaging supplies, yet small enough to care. www.otagopackaging.co.nz | 301 Hillside Road, South Dunedin FOOD & SUPPLEMENT PACKAGING IN MOULD LABELS (IML) 0800 32 LINK packtechmoulding.co.nz sales@ptm.co.nz 100% RECYCLABLE PLASTIC PACKAGING “If someone discovers their dog is allergic to chicken, it can be really hard to find commercial food without chicken in it. We offer whole proteins like rabbit, possum, beef or horse so people can pick and choose what works for their dog,” says Kim. Many commercial pet foods contain multiple protein sources and additives, making it difficult for some owners to identify allergens. The Mosgiel processing facility comprises mincers, bandsaws, dehydrators, filling equipment, and metal detection systems used particularly for wild game products to detect bullet fragments. Alongside supplying supermarket chilled products and frozen bagged ranges, the company also operates its own factory shop. For its stock removal service, Matt says all staff members are qualified in MPI’s ante-mortem examination requirements for pet food, servicing farmers from Oamaru to Bluff, including Central Otago and beyond. “Our focus is to supply a good-quality product and provide fast and efficient service for farmers. Farmers have got busy days, so when they want us to turn up, we turn up when we say we will and get the job done so they can focus on what they’ve got to do.” Kim believes being locally owned and family operated remains a key point of difference. “We pride ourselves on producing a good-quality product at a reasonable price, while keeping things local and employing local people.” The business is now focused on refining systems and improving efficiency, while also exploring future export opportunities. “We’ve had really strong growth during the last five years, so now it’s about working smarter, not harder,” says Kim. “We’re excited about where the business can go from here.”
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