The pioneers of a highly nutritious, dehydrated-raw dog food have launched a ‘six figure’ crowdfunding campaign aiming to build a community of investors who share its brand values in promoting better canine health.
Rocketo was launched in 2018 by serial entrepreneur, former MTV producer, and dog lover Arunas Matacius along with British entrepreneur and qualified veterinarian Andrew Bucher.
The organic, high quality and nutrition-focused brand was developed after Arunas was told that his pug Ferdinando would need to be put down due to health issues. Rather than accepting the diagnosis, he began researching healthier food options for his pet based on a raw, organic keto diet. Not only did Ferdinando recover, but through the discovery of an innovative air-drying process, a new brand was created.
Three years on, Rocketo has now diversified its award-winning product range and established itself within the UK, the world’s leading market for dog ownership, through e-commerce channels. The company’s unique and patent-pending form of processing has enabled its products to be dehydrated, making them easy to store while retaining the nutritional profile of the ingredients.
The company is committed to low-impact and sustainable sourcing and packaging practices while its manufacturing process is certified organic and meets all requirements for human food production.
While 80% of its sales are currently within the UK, Rocketo is building its presence across Europe, targeting a market worth an estimated €25bn, and has now begun shipping to South East Asia with growing sales in Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong.
Through investment from the forthcoming fundraise, the company plans to upscale its production in Lithuania, invest in brand-building activity, explore further markets and develop new products.
In addition to Andrew Bucher’s role as Chief Operating Officer, the Rocketo senior management team has a strong UK presence including its Bramley-based Natural Health Consultant Catherine Edwards and In-house Nutritionist Bianca Major, who is based in Bristol.
Among his earlier achievements, Rocketo CEO Arunas Matacius founded a successful organic chocolate brand and has won more than 20 international awards for product innovations and designs.
He said: “Our high protein, low carb products bring a unique offering to the market and are aimed at addressing the growing level of obesity and improving the health of man’s best friend. The air-drying process we’ve developed enables easy dry storage of our products while retaining the maximum bioavailability of micronutrients, making them gentle on the digestive system. As well as naturally preserving, it’s the cleanest possible raw food production method.
“Through this investment round, where we are aiming to raise a significant six figure sum, we intend to create a community of individuals who share our values and want to help promote the ethos of our brand. We will use the funds to grow Rocketo’s presence, both in core markets such as the UK and EU and across other parts of the globe. As well as scaling up production and developing new products, we will also target brick and mortar retailers, where there’s a huge opportunity to grow our presence within organic food sections.”
More details about the crowd-funding campaign can be found here: crowdcube.com/rocketo
