Founder Profile: Christopher Puma

When Christopher Puma, a former executive in the pet food division of H.J. Heinz Co. and in Birds Eye Foods Inc., left the latter in 2010, he wanted to start his own company.

He conferred with two other ex-Heinz executives, Rich Rothamel and Larry Hawley, looking for an idea. Rothamel came up with a “warm pet food” concept, and since all three were devoted dog owners, they ran with it.

The result was Warm Ups, a product originally meant to be used as a topping for dry dog food; now it’s available in four different recipes at 300 stores nationally, and the company is about to launch a new product, Warm Meals.

In the first side-by-side tests on 40 actual dogs, they found that all of them pounced on the bowls with Warm Ups rather than those with unenhanced dry food. Thirty-five of the dogs preferred the Warm Ups; three didn’t show a preference; one preferred the plain dry food and one gobbled up the Warm Ups-enhanced meal so fast it got sick and had to be eliminated.

Founded in 2011, Wexford Farms Pet Food now also sells its products online at sites such as Amazon and PetFoodDirect.

What inspired you to start Wexford Farms Pet Food?
Warmth increases palatability in many of our (human) foods. When Rich ran kennels for cats and dogs, whenever there was a sick dog they would warm up the pet food to get nutrition into the animal. It would increase the palatability and the dogs would eat.

The concept was very intriguing to me. . . It was not just warm pet food, but the humanization of pets, a trend that’s increasing every day. Most people treat their pets as children they would do anything for. If you try to warm up regular pet food in the microwave, it would smell bad, and people don’t want to mix their regular dishes with dog food. So we wanted to deliver a warm meal without cooking. We eventually came to the product we have today. You can just add hot tap water to the food. You don’t cook it; if it’s too hot the dog will reject it.

Dry dog food isn’t that palatable to animals. It’s extruded grains, proteins and meal. . . They spray it with a palatant that is a 1 percent concentration of animal protein. We took a special blend of one of the best palatants out there. The aroma is volatilized by the hot water. It accentuates the flavor so the dogs go crazy for it.

After we we tested it on dogs in the kennel, we also did home-use tests in 111 homes in the Columbus area, where they fed it to the dogs for a week. We didn’t see any diminished consumption. Later we added different nutritional supplements based on the type of dog and lifestyle of the dog: Healthy Joints for larger dogs with joint problems, Fit & Active for hunting and outdoor dogs; Skin & Coat; and Original Recipe.

What resources did you take advantage of in launching your company?
Last December we made several presentations to Innovation Works (the Southwestern Pa. Ben Franklin Technology Partners), and they did loan us money. One of the best testimonies we have is from Richard R. Lunak, the CEO of Innovation Works, whose dog developed cancer and wouldn’t eat until they used Warm Ups.

How has your commercialization been going?
We purchased our own equipment for packing, and we set up manufacturing in Warren with a former colleague and friend of ours. We hired a national broker. Now we’re in about 300 stores nationally and we have four retailers online. It’s doing well where we have distribution. Aside from the three founders, we have one employee/consultant in charge of marketing, Sandhya Ballal.

What were some of the challenges in starting the company?
Retailers see Warm Ups as a topper, and toppers don’t do well. There are gravies and mixes out there that don’t light the world on fire. The challenge is educating people—retailers and pet owners—on warmth, and letting them know they could be treating dogs better.

What’s next for Wexford Farms?
We can easily make Warm Ups a complete meal. We have already tested and developed the next phase of this, which we call Warm Meals. We have changed the graphic, giving it more of a ‘nature’ feel—the silhouette of a person in a hoodie beside a campfire with a dog. We want to convey the premium nature of the product and go after the more affluent customer. . . Our key customers have said this would be a good direction to go, to appeal to the serious pet owner.

What’s the big differentiator for Wexford Farms?
There are products in the specialty channel that are like dried soup mixes; you add hot water and it’s reconstituted vegetables and meats. But it’s not served warm. . . There’s little innovation in our category. Nothing else in the market today takes advantage of the dog’s senses.