Yorkshire duo eats dog food on TV – now their business is worth £25m
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Two Yorkshire pals famously ate dog food on Dragons’ Den – and went on to build a £25m pet food empire.
A Yorkshire pet food entrepreneur pitching his product to investors on TV's Dragon's Den was so confident in his recipe he ate it in front of the dragons.
Daniel Eha and Matt Cockroft marched into the den to ask for a £40,000 investment in their pioneering dehydrated dog food - and cheekily invited the muti-millionaire dragons to take a spoonful.
The duo, who had been pals since childhood, had started their business, Pure Pet Food, with a £300 loan and wowed the dragons with news of a major award, and inclusion in more than 100 pet product stores.
With the investors captivated by the polished pitch, Daniel then suggested: "If any of you have skipped lunch and are feeling brave, we'd more than welcome you to give it a quick try."
And it was the Dragon's Den mainstay Peter Jones who thought he would call Daniel's bluff, by asking: "Could you grab the bowl and try it for me?"
Without hesitation, Daniel picked up a spoon and gulped two mouthfuls. "It's a very meaty consistency", he explained, as he swallowed the first spoonful.
"There's liver, some muscle meat in there... and I'm more than happy to eat it."
The entrepreneurs then dusted off a series of challenging questions from the dragons, and the pitch eventually ended in two competing offers, one from leisure tycoon Deborah Meaden, and one from interior design specialist Kelly Hoppen.
However, in a rare move on Dragon's Den, Daniel and Matt turned down both deals, because they felt uncomfortable with the equity stake, and they walked out empty handed.
Even without the help of celebrity investors, the Cleckheaton-based company Daniel and Matt went on to build up, following the episode over 10 years ago, has now delivered more than 65 million meals across the UK, and it has reached a £25 million run rate.
It's 40,000 subscribers have been sticking to Pure Pet Food because it offers a different approach to serving fresh food to pets.
Cheaper than raw food, but with the convenience of kibble, its dehydrated powdered food arrives in a small sachet, and each serving just needs a spoonful of water to turn it into a delicious, nutritious bowl of everything a dog needs.
Pure Pet Food's in-house nutritionists develop all the recipes, and help customers tailor feeding plans to suit their dog's specific needs.
To find out more about the products, and to save 40% off an order, click here.
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