Fetching Profits with Probiotics
When chef and retired restaurateur Pamela Holden began making treats in her kitchen for her family’s and friend’s pets, everyone loved them so much that she expanded her manufacturing capabilities and started selling them online to meet the demand. Sales continued to increase and so have products SKUs. Today H3 Essentials has garnered a loyal following of customers looking for pet treats that contain safe ingredients with specific health benefits.
Double Digit Growth
Holden’s success reflects the sales growth occurring in the pet food market. According to Packaged Facts data, in 2014 treats made up 16% of US pet food spending, an impressive 10 percent growth over last year, according to Pet Food Industry. Holden has benefited from this trend by distinguishing her line from others by offering SKUs with a functional boost.
Powering Up with Probiotics
H3 Essentials has garnered so much success with its Hip and Joint formulas that it was time to launch other condition-specific product. This one would offer digestive benefits.
“Probiotics were really a natural expansion for us as our mission is to create treats that are geared toward the health and happiness of our furry friends,” Holden says. “We’ve seen a huge uptick in the number of dogs with allergies and intestinal sensitivities in recent years. What better way to help strengthen the immune system and support the ever so important digestive health of the pets we love. There’s no better supplement for the overall health of a dog than a high quality probiotic.”
Probiotic Research
As the company began to research probiotic ingredients, Holden says they were thrilled to learn about BC30™, which is “amazingly effective when it gets all the way from the manufacturer to the belly, unlike a lot of other probiotics”.
“Effectiveness, survivability and made-in-the-USA were top on our list when we went searching for the best probiotic on the market, Holden says. “The BC30 team not only checked those boxes, but had a great track record, tons of case studies, marketing materials and a great vendor program to get us up and running with a top tier product,” she says. On top of that, she asserts, the product doesn’t need refrigeration and is non-GMO–important factors for H3 Essentials and customers.
Easy Formulation? Yes!
Often when product manufacturers have found the right functional ingredient for their product, the formulation process can then pose a daunting stumbling block. This wasn’t the case with BC30, says Holden. “The assistance and guidance given by the BC30 team and our sales representative was one of the reasons we chose BC30. They helped us choose the right product, dial in the inclusion rates and even tested our sample products to confirm that the probiotic was truly surviving our manufacturing processes.”