Shameless Pets – Upcycling

Shameless Pets is a manufacturer of dog treats and they are using a process called upcycling which is new, fresh, unique, and actively benefits the ecosystem.

We are all guilty of throwing food away at some point. In fact, food wastage occurs from the fields to our homes. So food is wasted in agricultural production, during the post-harvest stage, processing, during food distribution too, and even during consumption in our homes, offices, restaurants, and so on. The figures say 63 million tons of food are thrown away every year.

It’s a mind-blowing figure.

This figure and food wastage issue are what drives Shameless Pets. If you haven’t heard of Shameless Pets in the past, the name might sound funny or strange to you. That’s fine because they love to give you that striking first impression. You are encouraged to be shameless!

What exactly is this Upcycling?

Imagine if every meal you wasted or every produce is thrown away during production could all be put together to create a healthy and delicious snack for your pet. That is what upcycling is. Rather than waste that apple pulp from a cider press or leftover pumpkins from a farm, Shameless Pets can use them as ingredients to be transformed into treats.

The best part is, it’s clean, healthy, safe, and fun! Plus super thoughtful.

The concept of upcycling by Shameless Pets is interesting but understood by few. So far, they have been successful with their products and a big help to dog owners.

When asked how the company can create ideas, bring them to production and grow with the market, Alex Waite cofounder of Shameless Pets said, “We started with one flavor and found an ingredient we could build around, which was lobster. The seafood industry throws away a lot of lobster mince – bits of lobster that has been picked out of the shell outside of the tail. There are some suppliers already taking that mince and selling it to manufacturers for other products. So we asked, “How do we build a product around lobster?”

“As the product developer, I had to figure out how we could incorporate a functional benefit for pets and make it something they like. We made a lobster and kelp combo that helps dogs keep their coats healthy. We’re creating flavors around suppliers who were already doing something awesome in the upcycling world.” She explained.

Earlier this year, Shameless Pets was a finalist for the top Purina Prize. They were alongside other innovative, pet-focused companies like Basepaws and Bond Pets.

Shameless Pets tries to ensure that every treat contributes a specific health benefit to your pet. They are also trying to bring in soft-baked treats, as most pet treats on the market are crunchy.

In Alex Waite’s words, “Brands are specifically working with growers and processors to create new added-value products from ingredients that would have been wasted otherwise.

Pet food makes sense here. Dogs love food – they don’t care if the pumpkin or lobster is ugly.”

Get your Shameless Pets HERE.

Read more from I On The Scene: HERE.