October 12, 2019

Transactional or Transformational!

I'm the first to admit that I often feel out of my element or at least that I sometimes feel under-qualified in my role here at RAWZ. It's not that I'm CEO or even have any direct reports for whom I am responsible, in fact the majority of my time is spent interacting with customers either through Facebook or at retail events and demos. It's just that in spite of a handful of marketing classes taken as an Economics major in college, I feel my ability to communicate who RAWZ is and what we're trying to do is a monumental task. With that said, here goes...

As is often the case, although I don't like to tell him, something I've heard my dad say many times is really ringing true to me today; "RAWZ hopes to have a transformational relationship with people, not just a transactional one!" Having been working alongside our great team both at RAWZ and with our partners across the business for quite some time now, I can honestly say that this isn't just a press release, but a core value for us. My basic understanding of the word transformation is that it describes a change so profound, that the result is a nearly complete alteration from the starting point. I think we can all appreciate the effect diet has on the health and happiness of pets, but am I being grandiose in describing RAWZ using a word carrying such weight?

First off, let me explain why my thoughts have been on the "big picture". Last weekend I made what has become an annual trip to Essex Junction, VT's Champlain Valley Exposition for Wag It Forward: A Festival for Pets. WIF is a fun day where various vendors and rescue organizations gather to raise funds, with even Dock Dogs having their pool set up! Kicked off with a 5k ran by 2 legged creatures, WIF is ultimately a great event raising funds for 24 area animal welfare groups; that's right I said 24! This great event in its' 3rd year and put on by Pet Food Warehouse, a trusted locally owned and operated since 1983 RAWZ retail partner, raises funds for 24 non-profits dedicated to animals.

I'd say the event and Pet Food Warehouse are transformational! We try to partner and support such companies and events that mesh with our mission of helping pets. For RAWZ, it all starts with providing pets with the least processed nutritional options that truly are the next best thing to feeding RAW. But also, recognizing the great opportunity to positively transform the lives of individuals living with serious disability, RAWZ is proud to donate 100% of our profits to the amazing groups making up the RAWZ Fund!

March 1, 2019

Reminded Again!!!

As I sit here in Chicago's O'Hare Airport waiting to board a flight, albeit not too patiently, I find myself reflecting. I was invited to spend the weekend with some amazing people working on a project with Think First National National Injury Prevention. Think First, an amazing non-profit dedicated to "prevent(ing) brain, spinal cord and other traumatic injuries through education, research and advocacy" has a really synergistic mission to The RAWZ Fund: While we look to improve lives once an injury is sustained, Think First works to prevent these injuries.

Through my involvement with our Rawz Fund partners, trying to build a new life myself, and being inspired by Andy's journey, I'm blessed to recognize that while incredibly diverse, survivors of life-changing injuries are still human beings. Like most people we look for experiences that enrich our lives while seeking connection to others. So what does this have to do with minimally processed pet food and why am I writing this blog post?

I always like to say that the simplest way to state RAWZ's mission is that our aim is to improve lives! Sounds grandiose yes, but it is surprisingly simple; my family and the RAWZ team have committed to giving pets minimally processed nutrition options. By eating RAWZ's amazing products pets lives are improved, furthermore, RAWZ supports amazing non-profits enriching the lives of survivors of serious injury.

I can't express my level of gratitude for the life I've been afforded the opportunity to have and the amount of support I've received. It's an honor to be on the RAWZ team as we work to improve the lives of pets and people: We'd love for you and your pet to join us!

January 1, 2019

New Year, better nutrition!

I'm sure we're all familiar with making good old "New Years Resolutions!" While I'm very familiar with the idea, having made quite few (albeit unsuccessful) over the years; I thought I'd ask my wise all-knowing friend Wikipedia for a definition: "A New Year's resolution is a tradition, most common in the Western Hemisphere but also found in the Eastern Hemisphere, in which a person resolves to change an undesired trait or behavior, to accomplish a personal goal or otherwise improve their life."

So what does this have to do with RAWZ? Since all pet lovers would assuredly agree that having a healthy pet brings great joy and improves their lives, by transference giving a pet better health through superior nutrition boosts the human partners' spirits as well. As the makers of our pet's dietary decisions, the opportunity of resolving to improve their health and well-being by feeding "The Next Best Thing to Feeding Raw" falls to us.

A question posed on our website is, "Why RAWZ"?: A great "WHY" could be a resolution for 2019 in that by improving your pet's diet by feeding THE NEXT BEST THING TO FEEDING RAW, both you and your pet's lives get better!

November 1, 2018

Vitamin B shortage!

Sometimes I forget that the whole world doesn't live inside the pet nutrition bubble I often find myself. This is probably a good thing considering that the all-encompassing news stories and trends flooding the market could lead to more confusion! One such topic has been that there is a worldwide-shortage of non-Chinese sourced vitamin B. This months' post will attempt to clarify the issue and let you know how RAWZ is addressing the shortage.

A logical question to ask is what caused this shortage? Since it's not as if the demand instantaneously exploded, as one can guess, there must be a supply issue. Remember though, we're talking about vitamin B that is not produced in China, who's the world's largest producer of such ingredients. No one is saying that China is inherently bad, just that when looking at recent history, it has been difficult ensure the quality and safety of Chinese ingredients.

So what happened? BASF, one of the largest producers of vitamins in Europe, suffered destructive fires at their german facility. This left DSM as the primary producer of Vitamins outside of China. Rather abruptly, DSM shifted all of their production to China. Business is business and a company has many reasons for any choice, but with our commitment to quality we wanted to find a solution while holding firm on our sourcing pledge.

In an effort to give pet owners peace of mind, RAWZ has pledged to not use any ingredients from China. So what have we done? Staying true to our promise, RAWZ has partnered with a Pharmaceutical-grade supplier from Poland to provide your pet with premium nutrition! While some choose to use Vitamin's made in China and simply shipped through Europe, RAWZ remains committed to our word.