OWINGS MILLS, MD. — What started out as casual dinner conversation, turned into a full-fledged business for sisters Sue Delegan and Kim Hehir, founders of Brutus Bone Broth. Now, after six years in the market, the bone broth, formulated to deliver nutritional benefits to dogs’ diets, is sold in more than 10,000 stores around the United States. 

As the founders of Brutus Bone Broth, Delegan, chief executive officer, and Hehir, president, are combining pet nutrition with social responsibility. 

“One professional accomplishment I’m particularly proud of is how we’ve expanded our impact beyond just creating a beneficial product for dogs and their owners,” Delegan said. “We’ve taken on a broader role in shaping the future of business and social responsibility within the pet industry.”

In the following Q&A, Delegan and Hehir share how their family business has a two-fold approach to success — helping pets thrive with the added nutrition of Brutus Bone Broth, while actively working to promote sustainability throughout the pet care industry.

PFP: How did you get your start in the pet industry, and how did that experience lead you to where you are now?

“Transforming our family recipe into a product that’s improving pets’ lives nationwide has been challenging but incredibly rewarding,” said Sue Delegan, co-founder and CEO of Brutus Bone Broth.

Delegan: Our journey in the pet industry began with my rescue dog Brutus, whom I adopted from a kill shelter. We nursed him back to health and always added my mom’s bone broth to his food. Brutus went on to live an exceptionally long, active life for a dog that was 135 lbs. People would always ask what the secret was, and I would tell them, “Love and Grandma’s bone broth.” Inspired by Brutus’ story and hearing similar experiences from other pet owners, my sister Kim and I saw an opportunity to share these benefits with other dogs.

Brutus gave us so much in his nearly 14 years, and now we’re paying it forward, sharing our nutritious recipe with pet owners across the country. Kim and I immersed ourselves in the project, spending thousands of hours researching the pet market and consulting industry experts. We meticulously tested recipes, designed packaging prototypes, and worked closely with manufacturers and suppliers to create Brutus Bone Broth.

Transforming our family recipe into a product that’s improving pets’ lives nationwide has been challenging but incredibly rewarding. It’s been an unexpected but fulfilling journey into the pet industry, driven by our passion for pet health and nutrition.

Hehir: We founded Brutus Bone Broth driven by our passion for pet nutrition and giving back to the community. We spent countless hours researching, consulting experts and perfecting our product.

From a family dinner table conversation to shelves in over 10,000 stores nationwide in six years, our journey has been challenging but rewarding. As a woman-owned family business, we’re committed to helping dogs live longer, healthier lives. 

PFP: What has been your biggest challenge — personal or professional — related to your work in the pet industry?

Hehir: We have had so many challenges both personally and professionally. When we first started ideating Brutus Broth, we brought our dad onboard. He had just sold his mechanical contracting business because he couldn’t keep up with the day-to-day operations due to his cancer treatments. A life-long entrepreneur, he did not want to be idle, so he became our chairman. A few months after we launched, Sue and I found out we were both BRCA+ and underwent double mastectomies. A few weeks later, my husband had a stroke. Needless to say, the first year we were in business was not easy but the plans we had for Brutus Broth kept us going.

With a mission “to nourish your pet while giving back to the community” and the goal of making all-natural, high-quality nutrition affordable and accessible to every pet owner kept us on track despite the push back we received from industry peers. People would say that focusing on the FDM (food, drug and mass merchandise) channel was a big mistake or that people would question the quality of our products, even though they meet FDA, USDA and AAFCO standards. Staying true to our values amid these market pressures has been tough but we are glad we did not waver. We’ve remained committed to ethical standards, product quality and community involvement, while keeping prices affordable and accessible. This balance has led to difficult decisions, but we’ve never compromised on who we are or what Brutus Broth stands for.

PFP: Tell me about a professional accomplishment in the pet industry that you are proud of.

Delegan: One professional accomplishment I’m particularly proud of is how we’ve expanded our impact beyond just creating a beneficial product for dogs and their owners. We’ve taken on a broader role in shaping the future of business and social responsibility within the pet industry.

We are both mothers and believe strongly that we need to empower our future leaders. We established a Kids Committee and mentorship programs to nurture the next generation of entrepreneurs, instilling values of innovation and ethical business practices early on. This initiative is helping to cultivate future leaders who understand the importance of balancing profit with purpose.

Also, our collaboration with the Pet Sustainability Coalition (PSC) demonstrates our commitment to environmental stewardship. We’re actively working to promote sustainable practices within the pet industry, recognizing that caring for pets also means caring for the planet they inhabit.

“Over the years, we’ve fostered hundreds of charitable partnerships, emphasizing the importance of giving back to our community,” said Kim Hehir, president and co-founder of Brutus Bone Broth.

Hehir: Over the years, we’ve fostered hundreds of charitable partnerships, emphasizing the importance of giving back to our community. These partnerships span from local animal shelters to broader social causes, reflecting our belief that businesses in the pet industry have a responsibility to contribute positively to society.

This multifaceted approach allows us to not only run a successful pet nutrition business but also to instill values of entrepreneurship, sustainability and philanthropy in the broader community.

PFP: What is top of mind for you and/or your business in the industry right now?

Delegan: Innovation is always top of mind for us. We want to be the company pet parents think of when they are looking for natural, high-quality products to enhance their pet’s diet. As a self-funded company competing against private equity-backed or multi-billion-dollar companies that have endless resources, we have to be intentional when bringing new products to the marketplace. We look at what pet parents are spending their money on and what health trends are happening in both the human and pet market.

Hehir: In addition to innovating and bringing new products to market, we also want to make sure our current product offerings sell well at our retailers. We work hard to ensure that we are exceeding category benchmarks by being creative on the marketing side and developing bespoke programs for each retailer so that we can maintain our position as a market leader.

PFP: If you could pick three trends influencing the industry today, which are the most important and why?

Delegan: Some of the top trends that stand out from my perspective include the following:

• Sustainability and eco-consciousness: There’s (finally!) a growing emphasis on environmentally friendly pet products and practices. This includes sustainable packaging and ethically sourced ingredients as well as transparency in terms of how food products are manufactured. As a member of the PSC, we make many decisions based on sustainability, whether that is which packaging to choose or which co-packer to use.
• Functional ingredients: If given a choice between a basic treat and a treat that can support hip and joint or skin and coat health, pet parents will choose the treat that contributes to the overall health of their pet.  
• Alternative proteins: Consumers are more educated than ever and looking for ways to add variety to their pets’ diets. Looking for other sources of protein that are also more sustainable is a trend that we are seeing.

These trends are reshaping the pet industry by influencing product development, marketing strategies, and consumer expectations. They reflect broader societal shifts toward health consciousness as well as environmental responsibility in daily life. This is why we launched our Skin & Coat broth that is made with nutritional yeast (a sustainable protein) and micro algae oil with Omegas 3, 6 and 9.

PFP: What is something about the pet industry that people outside of the industry may not realize?

Delegan: People outside the pet industry often don’t realize the regulatory challenges that exist in the pet food industry that require a delicate balance between compliance and innovation. Our human-grade broths are FDA, USDA and AAFCO compliant and go through several rounds of quality control.  

PFP: What advice would you give to other women in this industry?

Delegan: Trust your unique perspective as a woman entrepreneur. Your intuition can lead to innovative ideas, like how we recognized the value of our family’s bone broth recipe for other dog owners. Secondly, make sure you love what you do. This industry can be challenging, and your passion will be the driving force that keeps you going through tough times.

Most importantly, believe in yourself and what you’re doing. If you don’t have confidence in your product or your vision, no one else will. Your belief in your mission will be contagious and will help you inspire others.

As our father often said, “If it were easy, everyone would be doing it.” Entrepreneurship isn’t smooth sailing, but that’s what makes it worthwhile. Your unwavering belief in your product and deep-seated passion will carry you through challenges.

Hehir: First and foremost, do your homework. Research is key in this ever-evolving industry. Understand your market, your competitors, and your potential customers inside and out.

Secondly, beta test everything. Don’t assume anything will work perfectly right out of the gate. Test your products, your marketing strategies, even your business processes. We spent an entire year beta-testing our first products as well as our most recent new products. The feedback from retailers and customers, as well as the data we have gathered, are invaluable for not only refining and improving our offerings but have been invaluable during the sales process.

Finally, embrace collaboration and build strong networks. Relationships are how we built Brutus Broth and continue to grow the brand. We approach every retailer relationship with a partnership mindset. It’s easier to get on the shelf, than to stay on the shelf.   

We also love collaborating with other entrepreneurs — whether that is sharing best practices or doing marketing collaborations. Being an entrepreneur can be lonely, but it doesn’t have to be if you have the right support network!

PFP Just for fun, do you consider yourself a dog person or a cat person? Or, if you have pets of your own, tell us a little bit about them.

Kim Hehir, Brutus Bone Broth co-founder, with her dog.

| Source: Brutus Bone Broth

Delegan: I think it goes without saying, I’m a dog person! However, I have never met an animal I didn’t like. Growing up I rode horses, and we had dogs and a cat. My grandmother used to say, “never trust someone that doesn’t like animals.” I live by that rule! Although Brutus was my first baby, he passed in 2018, I now have two dogs, Bronson, a Greater Swiss Mountain Dog that was rehomed to us when he was one, and Cedric, a pit mix that was a displaced puppy from a North Carolina hurricane. My dogs keep me centered and grounded, and are the ultimate Brutus Broth taste testers!

Hehir: I love all animals but if I have to choose — I am a dog person! I have a 9-year-old puppy mill rescue named Shumba, which means “lioness” in Setswana (my husband is from Botswana). She runs three miles every day with me and is powered by Brutus Broth!

Sue Delegan and Kim Hehir, co-founders of Brutus Bone Broth, serve as chief executive officer and president, respectively, of the company. Prior to starting their family business, Delegan served as president of Ilios Dairy Brands and Hehir worked as vice president of Strategic Planning for The Leading Hotels of the World. Delegan received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from St. Lawrence University and Hehir is a graduate of Cornell University.

Continue reading about other female leaders featured in our Women in the Pet Industry series.