Brad Kriser, owner of Feeding Pets for Life LLC, says he’s trying to attract pet owners to his pet supply chain by providing pet nutrition-conscious customers with a wide variety of all-natural, organic and human-grade petfoods and pet treats.

Based in Chicago, Illinois, USA, and Los Angeles, California, USA, the stores feature an assortment of brands of natural dog and cat food, as well as upscale pet toys and clothing and unique items like bison-tendon treats and duck-feet snacks.

“The Whole Foods of the pet world—that's what we want to be known as,” Kriser said.

In the stores, a sign, signed by Kriser, reads “All our foods are personally approved by me. And yes, I've tried them all.”

“We're trying to show there's someone behind every decision,” he said.

Kriser says his least-expensive brand, Canidae, retails for US$10 for 4 pounds, while, in contrast, premium supermarket dog foods typically cost about US$7 for the same-sized bag.

Kriser says that his revenue increased by 40 percent in 2011. He is currently looking for capital to open seven more locations in 2012, including one in a new market of Denver, Colorado, USA. He hopes to eventually grow the company into a national chain with more than 100 locations.