Unique Raw
The exponential growth in raw feeding continued to put pressure on Unique Pets and its suppliers. Despite daily deliveries of raw food, nearly 35 small freezers across the two shop floors and a large walk-in freezer in Aylesbury, juggling raw food stock became a challenge and we were unable to hold enough stock to last even a week! Not only did we need more space, we needed a raw supply chain that we could rely on.
In 2018 Unique Pets took on a large unit, in between the two shops in Whitchurch, to act solely as a warehouse. With an enormous walk-in freezer taking up one end of the barn, Unique Pets just about held enough raw food to satisfy customers over the Christmas period. The warehouse became an operational unit in its own right, holding enough stock to supply both shops with daily deliveries to keep up with customer demand.
In 2019, although we had space, some of our suppliers were struggling to keep up and were often unable to fulfill our orders. Hating to let customers down with lack of stock, we took matters into our own hands and designed our own brand of raw food, Unique Raw. Combining all our training and experience, our range of food also addresses some specific issues which we heard repeatedly from our customers in store.
Unique Raw follows the 80/10/10 approach and does not add vegetables, herbs or any supplements, so that it is suitable for all dogs. Some of our recipes contain only 5% bone for the dogs who find 10% too much, while other recipes contain up to 20% bone for dogs who can tolerate a higher level, and we also have a bone-free mince which can be added to complete meals. We offer a number of chicken-free options, as that is the most common protein allergy for dogs, and our recipes contain 10% heart so they are suitable for cats as well. We are particularly proud of this growth in the business as it was driven, as always, by keeping our customers happy.
Having experienced ongoing mechanical issues with the chubb production, we have now teamed up with a new supplier, Naked Dog, to ensure a reliable supply of our own brand. We have retained the same great recipes, but they are now in a sealed reusable tub.