In celebration of National Pet Day, KOLO 8 shines a spotlight on Reno’s newest entrant in the pet food industry, Good Pup Food Co., which prides itself as the city’s sole provider of 100% human-grade, fresh food for dogs.
The brainchild of Tyson Waldron and Jonathan Burnham, whose friendship dates back to their college days at the University of Nevada, Reno, Good Pup Food Co. emerges from a shared passion for canine well-being and a journey of culinary experimentation.
“We’ve been climbing partners, roommates, adventure buddies. We’ve traveled all over the world,” reminisced Burnham, highlighting the enduring camaraderie between the co-founders.
Transitioning from roles in the media and hospitality sectors, Waldron’s personal experience of crafting homemade meals for his dog, coupled with Burnham’s own canine caregiving, catalyzed the inception of Good Pup Food Co. The realization that they could craft a superior alternative to conventional dog food sparked their entrepreneurial spirit.
“I just decided to go all in with it and design a way more complete recipe than I was already making. Pretty soon I had a viable product. I brought it to Jon and he was excited right away because he had an elderly dog who had a ton of issues at the end of her life,” recalled Waldron.
Emphasizing their commitment to quality, Waldron and Burnham underscored the local sourcing and meticulous preparation of ingredients, eschewing mass production for small-batch craftsmanship.
“We can’t hide behind forming our food into a pellet; what you see is what you get,” Waldron asserted.
Addressing the inevitable curiosity surrounding the product’s taste, Waldron humorously admitted to sampling the fare himself, with Burnham’s vegetarian principles extending to their friend group’s taste tests.
Following extensive research, the duo settled on a balanced recipe comprising 55 to 60% meat, 25% veggies, and 20% carbs, advocating for the health benefits of fresh food over traditional kibble.
“Kibble is just a burnt piece of brown pellet. We gently cook our meats and veggies, and blanche our veggies before immediately freezing the bags,” explained Burnham.
Citing concerns over the detrimental effects of certain kibble brands on canine health, including preservatives, high-temperature extrusion, and inferior ingredients, Waldron and Burnham champion transparency and integrity in pet nutrition.
“Just today we were looking at another brand of kibble. It was ‘beef and bison,’ but there wasn’t any bison included. It was beef meal and some chicken poultry meal without any bison. So, there’s definitely some weird marketing that some of these major brands can get away with so we just wanted to focus on human grade that we knew was going to be good and healthy,” Burnham remarked.
Driven by a shared ethos of enhancing the lives of cherished pets, Waldron and Burnham extend a warm invitation to pet owners seeking optimal nutrition for their furry companions. With a promotional offer exclusively for KOLO viewers, prospective customers can visit goodpupfood.com and enter code “kolo8” at checkout to avail 50% off and free shipping on their inaugural purchase.
“That connection and bond you have… you just want the absolute best for them,” affirmed Burnham, encapsulating the ethos behind Good Pup Food Co.’s mission.
For pet lovers eager to embark on a fresh culinary journey for their canine companions, Good Pup Food Co. beckons as a beacon of nutritional innovation and unwavering dedication to canine welfare.
