CLECKHEATON, ENGLAND — Personalized dog food company Pure Pet Food recently raised £15 million ($19.45 million USD) from investors, supporting its continued expansion. The company plans to use the funds to enhance its presence in the UK pet food market, enter new markets, and develop its distribution channels and product range.
Founded in 2013 by Daniel Valdur Eha, chief operating officer, and Mathew Cockroft, director, Pure offers an alternative to kibble, specializing in natural and easily digestible dog food in a fresh format. The formulas are shelf stable and become fresh once rehydrated with water. The recipes contain with chicken, duck, turkey, salmon, herring or beef proteins, fruits and vegetables, all offering functional health benefits.
The company operates a direct-to-consumer (DTC) subscription model, providing food tailored to a dog’s needs, from health ailments down to specific breeds.
Since its humble beginnings, Pure now employs more than 100 people throughout its manufacturing site and offices in Cleckheaton, and serves 40,000 regular customers throughout the United Kingdom. Additionally, the company has served more than 42 million meals since 2013 and sales have grown by more than 200% during the past two years, according to Pure.
The new investment comes from Felix Capital and existing investor Mercia Ventures.
“We are thrilled to partner with Felix Capital, whose vision for Pure aligns perfectly with ours,” Cockroft said. “We are also delighted for the ongoing support from our current investors and team, who believe in our mission and sector. Dan and I have come a long way from starting Pure. Our ambitions have grown alongside the business, and we are eager to continue in our quest to create food that makes a profound impact on the health and happiness of our dogs.”
The investment follows Pure’s appointment of Chief Executive Officer Roz Cuschieri.
“Pure has gone from strength to strength in recent years, a testament to the dedication and hard work of Dan, Mat, Roz and the team,” said Jan Oosthuizen, investor at Mercia Ventures. “The company’s vision and ambition consistently excite us, so we are delighted to continue to support them in their pursuit of future milestones and to partner with Antoine and the wider Felix team.”
Antoine Nussenbaum, co-founder and investor at Felix Capital, added, “In a world where people opt more and more for ‘pethood’ over parenthood, we are humbled and excited to join this journey alongside Jan at Mercia, as well as Miles Hill and Sarah Doyle from Pure. We will be supporting the whole team at Pure with their mission to become a leading, high-quality, sustainable and distinctive modern brand for pets.”
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