Petworking

Debbie Hendrickx spent 18 years as a Nordstrom buyer before a 2 AM idea sent her to a Seattle dog park with an orange cart and two flavors written on a cup in Sharpie. Nine years later, Swell is a premium frozen dog treat brand in 1,600 stores across the US and Canada. Peter Kenseth talks with Debbie about building a physical product the hard way, from the co-manufacturer problem that made her sell her house and buy a factory, to cold chain economics, channel strategy, and why she built her brand on independent pet. They get into trade show math, a DTC subscription idea that doesn't require her to ship a single box, and the thesis at the heart of it all. Ingredients make a product. A memorable experience makes a brand.

Wellness Pet Company exited fresh frozen a few years ago. At Global Pet Expo, they reentered the category on their own terms with protein bowls, a fresh shelf-stable pouch that needs no freezer, reseals, and lands at $4.99.Peter Kenseth sits down with Greg Kean, SVP of Innovation and Nutrition at Wellness Pet Company, and Lina Gearity, who joined from Procter & Gamble six months ago to lead insights. Together they get into the product development story, the consumer testing behind it, the economics of the pack size, the nutrition, the vet channel, and the case for rotational feeding.
What we cover:- Why Wellness left fresh frozen and how they came back without the cold chain- The Culinary Institute of America chef who paired aromatics to each protein- Building for the human experience, not just the dog- The 6.2 oz, $4.99 strategy and whether a larger size is coming- Full AAFCO profiles, digestibility testing, and "veterinarian recommended" on the label- The vet channel as the next frontier for non-therapeutic nutrition brands- No-transition feeding and what it means for the ten-day switch- The rotation debate, emotional and nutritional- Arlo, and the personal origin of Wellness's sensitive skin and stomach dietChapters:00:00 Welcome, and celebrating Old Mother Hubbard's 100th02:00 The protein bowls genesis02:55 Why Wellness exited fresh frozen04:10 What the product had to accomplish05:20 Meet Kyle, the CIA chef behind the aromatics07:20 Palatability, senior dogs, and picky eaters09:30 Cold chain challenges across the category11:25 Fresh shelf-stable vs traditional wet food13:35 Two years of development and consumer insights15:45 The package that actually dispenses22:20 The 6.2 oz and $4.99 decision27:50 No compromise on nutrition30:00 The vet endorsement and the vet channel34:25 The nutrition education gap and vet burnout38:00 No transition required39:40 The rotational feeding question43:10 What consumers really want from variety46:00 Why this industry matters
#PetIndustry #PetFood #FreshPetFood #PetNutrition #Petworking #DogNutrition #CPG #AnimalHealth #WellnessPet

Veterinary revenues are up, but visits are down, and that gap is where the access to care crisis lives. In this episode of Petworking, Peter Kenseth reconnects with Dr. Ben Hantler, founder of Consulting Medical Partners and one of the show's earliest guests, to talk through why veterinary care keeps getting more expensive and what the industry can do about it.
Their conversation moves from rising exam fees and a la carte billing to the stubbornly low rate of pet insurance adoption, the veterinary shortage and burnout, and the promise of at-home diagnostics, telehealth, and membership models. Along the way they get honest about economic euthanasia, the toll the system takes on veterinarians, and why Peter started the Petworking Angel Fund. It is a candid, solutions-minded look at a problem that touches every pet owner, every clinic, and every pet.

How does the world's largest pet care ecosystem actually work? In this episode of Petworking, I sit down with Dr. Jimmy Barr, Chief Medical Officer of Antech Diagnostics, for a behind-the-curtain look at how Mars Petcare's four divisions connect to drive innovation in veterinary medicine.
Most people hear "Mars" and think M&Ms. They don't think of Pedigree, Royal Canin, Champion Pet Foods, Banfield, VCA, Blue Pearl, Wisdom Panel, and one of the most ambitious longitudinal pet health studies ever attempted. Dr. Barr walks us through all of it.
In this episode, we explore:
How the Waltham Pet Care Science Institute serves as Mars's greenfield discovery engine, recently identifying 89 previously unknown bacterial species in the canine GI tract
How Antech is deploying AI across two tracks: improving commercial products like Rapid Read (trained on 16 million radiographs) and accelerating scientific discovery
The Mars Pet Care Biobank, a long-term study enrolling 10,000 pets with annual lab work, genetic sequencing, quality-of-life questionnaires, and biological sample storage for future testing methodologies that don't even exist yet
Why Dr. Barr, an emergency and critical care specialist, believes the biggest opportunity in veterinary medicine is prevention and early detection, not acute care
The role of lab technicians and logistics teams in maintaining the integrity of every diagnostic result, and why Lab Week matters
This episode is a continuation of my earlier conversation with Dr. Phillip Bosse at WVC about Antech's measured approach to AI in veterinary diagnostics.
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With Global Pet Expo right around the corner, I sat down with Jessica McCarthy, Founder & CEO of Brand Energy, to talk about something that should be on every pet brand's radar: the untapped power of LinkedIn as a marketing and relationship-building platform. Jessica brings serious pet industry credibility to the conversation, having spent nearly seven years at Mars — including a five-year run leading their national customer marketing program.
In this episode, we explore:
Why 99% of LinkedIn users are "lurkers" — and why that matters more than you think
How B2B sales and marketing in pet has evolved from boots on the ground to digital relationship building
The future of independent pet specialty in a convenience-driven, at-home delivery world
Why brands questioning trade show ROI are often the ones not doing the digital work before, during, and after the show
The execution gap between knowing the LinkedIn playbook and actually running it
What Jessica covers in her forthcoming book, Marketing Magic, and her upcoming talk at Global Pet Expo
Jessica is a fractional CMO and CRO who works with pet brands and businesses of all sizes to build marketing strategies that drive real results. Her perspective on why independent pet retailers have been slow to adopt digital marketing — and what that means for the channel's future — is a must-listen for anyone in the pet industry.
About Petworking:Petworking is the podcast for pet care and animal health professionals. Hosted by Peter Kenseth, VP & Partner at Maia Strategy Group, Petworking features interviews with founders, executives, and veterinarians driving innovation across the pet industry.