CROSSFIELD, Alta. – It just got easier for Alberta residents to feed their pets local food.
Red Moon Pet Products was a sideline business for Jason Bailey in 2005 when he started making a dog and cat treat called Waggers.
He was a marketing vice-president for a large animal food company at the time, but recently became the full-time president of Red Moon, which has a facility north of Calgary.
“I was building this on the weekends and evenings and I just recently came in full time,” he said.
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Sales have doubled annually.
“By the end of next year, we should be $3 to $4 million in revenues and we just started.”
The company is financed by Bailey, family and friends and funding from Alberta Farm Financial Services, Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency and AVAC, which most recently provided a $700,000 grant.
It started with a single bay in an industrial area of town and has tripled in size. He eventually hopes to build a larger, automated plant .
There are two product lines. Waggers is a moist treat made from liver and tripe, while dry pet food is sold under the brand name Red Moon.
Orders are placed online and delivered within three days anywhere in North America.
Bailey worked with nutritionists to design a base formula. Supplements are added according to a questionnaire about the pet’s breed, size, level of activity and special needs.
The product is then mixed and could include supplements for better digestion, improved hair coat or urinary tract health.
“Most manufacturers add this to the kibble before, but we do it after so it doesn’t denature,” he said.
The North American pet food industry is worth $20 billion a year. It is not regulated in Canada, so Bailey relies on American good manufacturing practices.
Red Moon is negotiating to produce private label brands for retailers who will receive a slightly different product for their shelves.
“In the future, we are going to go after the vets so they can actually recommend products off the website to their customers. Right now, we are going after the discerning pet owner, which is somebody who already knows their dog pretty well and wants to feed the best,” he said.
“If there is a huge medical problem, we can’t help that.”
It uses only fresh meat from Lilydale Poultry and Lakeside Packers and is looking for a pork supplier.
The meat is processed into a form that looks like a milkshake. The mix goes through an extruder to produce treats that look like ribbons of soft chocolate or dry pellets.
Red Moon can make 500 pounds of treats per hour and 1,000 lb. of dry food per hour. It employs six people.
