UK plant-based dog food company omni has raised £1.1 million in a funding round, with investors including ProVeg International, Trellis Road, Purple Orange Ventures, Shiocap, and Kale United.
The company will use the funding to launch a new lineup of plant-based dog treats that will target specific health conditions — such as skin issues, joint problems, and anxiety.
Omni soft-launched in May of last year, shortly after joining the sixth cohort of the ProVeg Incubator. Since then, the dog food company has seen an average monthly growth rate of 55%.
Nutritionally complete food
“The sad truth is that one in four dogs in the UK will get cancer and one in two suffer from obesity,” Omni co-founder Dr. Guy Sandelowsky told vegconomist in an interview. “Humans started giving up various kinds of processed meats decades ago because of the proven links to cancer and obesity, yet these meats are still the main component of most dog foods.”
Omni’s pet food is 100% plant-based and nutritionally complete, made from healthy plant-based ingredients such as sweet potato, lentils, brown rice, and pumpkin. The food contains 30% protein, higher than most pet foods, and has an 85% lower carbon footprint than conventional dog food.
“More and more pet owners are going vegan, vegetarian, or flexitarian, and many are taking their pets with them! This market is already worth many billions of dollars a year worldwide and it will only get bigger – perhaps much, much bigger,” said Sandelowsky.
