THE NEXT GENERATION OF PETS IS IN GOOD HANDS Interview by Craig Kaminer / Quotes by Reed Howlett / Photo by Lou Bopp
Recently, I sat down with Reed Howlett, the CEO of Freely Pet, one of the newest St. Louis pet food companies to launch here, to get his take on the changing pet food industry, how millennials are changing pet care as we know it, and why Freely has a team of certified pet nutritionists just a chat away to help pet parents better manage their pet’s nutrition and wellbeing. What is Freely doing to help pet parents raise healthier pets? “Many things. First, we want to keep pet food simple and it’s gotten confusing. There’s no one right way to feed dogs and cats. Experts will tell you to choose complete and balanced food and choose one that’s appropriate for all life stages. But within those parameters, there’s ample room for a variety of foods. I think the key is educating pet parents who want to do the right thing to keep it simple but allow them to tailor feeding so that they feel they’re making a difference overall for their pet. To keep things simple, we started with the lowest common denominator, which is dry and wet diets. They make up the preponderance of the category. We wanted to get that right because that’s where we feel there is the greatest opportunity to cut through the clutter. That’s what most people feed today and where the majority of the confusion lies.” How are millennials changing the pet parenting landscape? “I think one way is that millennial pet parents want to know what their pet is doing at all times. They seek a connection through social media with other parts of their lives and their pets are no different. We see lots of pets at work now, obviously, which is for emotional support, 70 slmag.net
but also because pet parents want to know that their pet is being well taken care of day in and day out. And if they can’t physically be with their pet at work, they’ll set up cameras at home to watch what that pet is doing. Or they’ll put that pet in daycare where they have cameras and they know what it is doing.” How is Freely helping millennials be better pet parents? “We’re trying to provide answers, understanding, and access to information about nutrition that pet parents crave, because they’re that involved in all aspects of their pets’ lives. When it comes to nutrition, a lot of millennial and Gen Z pet parents want to know more. They need to have more confidence in the products because this is a big deal for them. And, that attitude is born of the sense of emotional connection and desire to be deeply involved with their pet. I think millennial pet parents are very ingredient focused and they want to know why each ingredient is in there. They want to know where the ingredients are sourced. They ultimately want to know that we’ve got a quality system that ensures that every batch of food is up to spec. And so there’s a level of interest in ensuring that Freely as a company is transparent about all aspects from sourcing through production. That’s why our approach is ‘we’ll tell you anything.’” What are some of Freely’s most unique products? “We started by identifying the biggest problem that needs to be solved within the pet food category - and it’s not choice. If you go into a Petco or PetSmart and you look around, the problem is not a lack of choice. The problem is that pet owners feel overwhelmed and don’t know how to navigate the category. The pet parent that we are thinking of
