Pure Simple True, a pet food start-up based in Seattle, WA, and founded in 2020, has launched the Bernie’s brand on the booming Direct-To-Consumer channel. The brand is positioned as an ultra-premium functional food for dogs. It is formulated with whole human-grade whole foods. Wild Alaska Pollock, Grass-fed beef liver locally sourced, MSC certified cod liver, Jerusalem artichoke and blueberries are among the superfoods the line is built from. The result is a portfolio of functional food for dogs packaged in glass jars and bottles. Bernie’s was creating right in the middle of the COVID 19 pandemic. Therefore, it comes with many sustainability credentials. The brand comes with other surprises that should please their targeted audience.
The Pet Food e-commerce start-up opted for a vertical model, that is it owns and controls its production and supply chains. This is not yet quite usual in e-com, despite the changes this industry is undergoing to become more profitable. The company made the decision to trade fast growth against sustainable scalability, integrating operations from its beginning. The new Operations platform, also called Bernie’s Cookhouse, is in Seattle’s Industrial District. It is equipped with retorting capabilities for complete wet pet food production as well as a fulfillment center. The location also allows Bernie’s to access very high quality, unprocessed seafood raw materials, which is key for the brand.
Bernie’s new line of products digital marketing campaign is being led by the California-based company Giant Partners.The brand has not yet raised any venture capital and is not aimed at growing at a loss for the sake of being bigger, faster. Their goal is to play the long game and moving partially offline is also part of the plan. The brick-and-mortar retail still offers a potential for sustainable growth.
