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Cheap grocery store food, stuffed into the bowl, ready, because Hundi eats it anyway. It can be done, it doesn’t have to be. For dog owners who place great importance on their four-legged friend’s nutrition, there’s a new startup, HelloBello (not to be confused with the eponymous dog board) that delivers individualized dog food to the front door. Now the team surrounding founder Wolfgang Maurer wants to go to Germany with the concept; You could also call it “dog food as a service”.
The idea is not entirely new and is already being used in the US or Great Britain by companies such as Nom Nom Now, My Ollie, The Farmers Dog or Butternut Box with large million-dollar investments. But in German-speaking countries, the Viennese startup still sees itself as a trailblazer with great market opportunities. Founded in September 2019, the market launch recently took place in Austria, and in early 2021 it should now go to Germany.
Connection to FoodTech-Cluster
“We are planning to establish a production plant in Germany. This should be finished in the second quarter, but maybe the first quarter of 2021 will work too, ”says Stephan Freh from the HelloBello founding team. “The establishment of the branch will probably be at the FoodTech-Cluster in Baden Württemberg, negotiations are ongoing.” Production in greater Germany is essential, because the start-up sends fresh feed and not just dry feed and therefore needs to be as close to the customer as possible.
So far, HelloBello has been funded through stocks and a seed round. Now it is planned to raise around 500,000 euros in fresh capital to start as a consumer brand in Germany. The potential seems great. “In Austria there are about 650,000 dogs, in Germany about 10 million,” says Freh. In general, the PetTech market is considered large and growing. In Germany, companies made about 5.2 billion euros in sales in 2019 with food, toys and collars, as calculated by the pet supplies industry association.
The roots of the startup should remain in Austria. “We are currently manufacturing in Karlstetten, north of St. Pölten. This production will always continue and supply the Austrian market, ”says Freh. They also developed their own dog food, in collaboration with veterinarian Eva Schmal-Filius since from the Vienna University of Veterinary Medicine.
Freshly made food by mail
The dog food, which is adapted based on the animal’s data (age, breed, weight, etc.), is delivered by express delivery, in the subscription model every two or four weeks. But if you are thinking of placing an order, you should know that it can be quite expensive. For example, the daily ration for a medium dog that receives the recipe with veal can be as low as 6 to 7 euros.
If you order, you should have enough refrigerator space – customers receive very cold dog food within 1-3 days and should store it in the refrigerator or freezer after the package has been delivered to ensure freshness.
“It’s fresh food cooked with 100 percent Austrian meat,” says Freh. “Sustainability is also very important to us, the packaging for cooling is made of straw, for example.” The success of startups in the Anglo-American region makes one optimistic that it will also work in DACH. Butternut Box in the UK has been hugely popular with consumers. We are the first in the German-speaking market to offer fresh feed in this way and we want to offer the consumer this option. “
