TORONTO--(Business Wire)-- Open Farm, a premium pet food brand committed to raising the bar on the way we feed our pets, has raised $65MM+ USD ($80 MM+ CAD) in its latest round of funding, led by leading global growth equity firm General Atlantic. This marks General Atlantic’s first investment in the pet industry, and they join the company’s leadership team and existing minority partner, Encore Consumer Capital, on Open Farm's long-term growth journey. The funding will be used to accelerate Open Farm’s mission to Do Some Good for animals and the planet, introduce the brand to millions of new pet parents, and support continued innovation to transform the way pets are fed through high-quality nutrition.

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“Today’s pet parent is looking for exceptional nutrition that also aligns with their values,” said Isaac Langleben, Co-Founder and CEO of Open Farm. “We go to great lengths to create amazing foods, using the world’s best, ethically sourced ingredients, and take pride that every ingredient, in every bag of Open Farm, can be traced back to the source. We are so excited to partner with the team at General Atlantic as we continue to push our mission forward and establish Open Farm as the global leader in the premium pet food space.” Since 2014, Open Farm has worked to make premium quality pet food offerings accessible and customizable to every pet and pet parent’s needs. With annualized growth exceeding 100% over the last five years, Open Farm can now be found in over 5,500 neighborhood pet retailers across North America, as well as online at OpenFarmPet.com. Open Farm started out with three products and is now recognized as a category-leader in product innovation, with a full suite of premium offerings ranging from dry dog food to fresh meals and supplements. Throughout this growth trajectory, Open Farm has stayed true to its values, partnering with international recycling leader TerraCycle™ to offer a national pet food bag recycling program, and becoming the first pet food brand in North America to offer reusable packaging on the Loop platform. Additionally, Open Farm works with ethical sourcing partners Certified Humane®, Global Animal Partnership, and Ocean Wise Seafood to not only provide better quality ingredients to pets, but to ensure that the brand is sourcing ingredients in a way that respects farm animals and the planet. “Mission-driven brands are a key focus for General Atlantic, and we are thrilled to partner with the Open Farm team, a group of passionate entrepreneurs who have built an authentic brand on the global and growing interest in better pet food options,” said Andrew Ferrer, Managing Director at General Atlantic. “Open Farm is well-positioned to deliver on the modern food values of its customers with its diverse portfolio of ethically and sustainably sourced premium products.” “Open Farm is a highly differentiated brand and a leader within the growing pet food sector,” added Ben Sherman, Vice President at General Atlantic. “We are excited to support the team as they look to drive consumer awareness, enhance retailer support, and continue to deliver new product innovation and transparency around the world.” Open Farm’s nutrient-dense recipes for dogs and cats include Dry Food, Freeze Dried Raw, Gently Cooked Fresh Meals, Rustic Stews and Blends, Treats, and Supplements such as Bone Broth and Kefir. Open Farm is available in neighborhood pet stores across the US and Canada and online at OpenFarmPet.com. Open Farm was advised by Cascadia Capital LLC and Goodmans LLP. General Atlantic was advised by McCarthy Tétrault LLP. About Open Farm Open Farm is a Toronto-based pet food company on a mission to Do Some Good® for pets, farm animals and the planet. Every Open Farm recipe is designed to deliver exceptional nutrition, and is committed to raising the bar on the way we feed our pets with even stricter standards than what we eat ourselves. Open Farm delivers on its nutritional promise across 7 different product categories with an unmatched approach to ingredient transparency. Since 2014, Open Farm has extended its presence to over 5,500 neighborhood pet stores across North America and at OpenFarmPet.com. Join our mission at OpenFarmPet.com or on Instagram and Facebook. About General Atlantic General Atlantic is a leading global growth equity firm providing capital and strategic support for growth companies. Established in 1980, General Atlantic combines a collaborative global approach, sector specific expertise, a long-term investment horizon and a deep understanding of growth drivers to partner with great entrepreneurs and management teams to build market-leading businesses worldwide. General Atlantic has more than 175 investment professionals based in New York, Amsterdam, Beijing, Greenwich, Hong Kong, Jakarta, London, Mexico City, Mumbai, Munich, Palo Alto, São Paulo, Shanghai and Singapore. For more information on General Atlantic, please visit the website: www.generalatlantic.com.

Company identifies major accomplishments toward sustainability

  Despite the challenges, Open Farm Pet is reflecting on the positives and the role our pets have played to bring us companionship and joy - this year more than ever The premium pet food brand is raising the bar on the way we feed our pets and has garnered major accomplishments toward sustainability efforts and ethical and transparent sourcing, thus, we’re excited to share a Year in Review at Open Farm Pet:   · 1^st pet food brand with reusable packaging   · 75,000+ meals donated to shelters in need   · 306,000+ pet food bags recycled through TerraCycle (as of Oct 2020)   · 2.89 million pounds of Certified Humane and Global Animal Partnership meat was sourced by Open Farm in 2020. Not only does this result in happier and healthier farm animals, it raises the demand for ethical treatment of animals in the industry, and leads to a higher quality of meat for our pets.   · 21.1K pet parents visited Open Farm’s online traceability tool to trace the origins of the ingredients in each recipes   · $54.7K USD in donations to better the community (The Center for Addiction & Mental Health, Daily Bread Food Bank, etc.)   Looking ahead to 2021, Open Farm is leading the pack within the pet food space to deliver the highest quality nutrition and is trailblazing when it comes to 2021 trends -- think ultimate transparency in ingredients, customization for your pet, and supplements!    Open Farm’s 2021 Pet Food Trends:   · Transparency is Key - Open Farm believes that what goes into your pets’ bodies shouldn’t be a mystery. Using the lot code on their Open Farm bag, pet parents have the ability to instantly trace the origin of each ingredient in their recipes. Furthermore, from farm to bowl, Open Farm recipes feature only humanely raised meats and functional ingredients such as non GMO leafy greens, carrots, chicory root, turmeric and other superfoods with no artificial flavors, preservatives or fillers.   · Customization (for all ages & life stages) - Open Farm continues to see the rise of pet parents wanting to provide customized, personalized diets for their pets. Both in terms of variety and experience, but most importantly from a nutritional perspective, pet parents are becoming more educated and curious about how their pet’s diet impacts their overall health and happiness. Open Farm has always looked to meet this need for pet parents, by offering a diverse product assortment that meets a wide variety of consumer needs including nutrient-dense recipes for dogs and cats from premium Dry Food, Freeze Dried Raw and Gently Cooked Recipes to Rustic Stews and Blends, Bone Broth, Kefir and more.   · Bone Broth Isn’t Bougie, Your Pet Should Be Scarfing Supplements -  Treat your dog or cat to a nutritious and delicious boost with Open Farm Pet’s Bone Broth. A super soup for your dogs or cats and packed with healthy nutrients, this bone broth can easily be added as a flavorful topper to your pet’s favorite wet or dry dish or to re-hydrate Open Farm’s Freeze Dried Raw recipes. Available in Grass-Fed Beef, Homestead Turkey, and Harvest Chicken, using ethically raised protein (free of antibiotics or growth hormones), the bone broth uses 100% human-grade ingredients and is formulated with slowly simmered bones for maximum health benefits.

Since it was introduced in early 2019, the amazingly ambitious and potentially game-changing Loop circular shopping platform has expanded rapidly. First launched online in mid-2019 in New York City and Paris, Loop was rolled out nationwide just one year later. Not only has its footprint grown, but so too has the number of brands offering their products through the platform—a pretty impressive accomplishment, given the total redesign that’s typically required for a CPG to make their packaging reusable. One recently added brand is Open Farm Pet Food, the first pet food company to partner with Loop. Evan Shuster, VP of Marketing for Open Farm, says Loop was a good fit for Open Farm, given the two organization’s shared values around sustainability. Toronto-based Open Farm has built its business on delivering clean, nutritious pet-food products made from ethically sourced and whole ingredients. “Joining the Loop platform presented an amazing opportunity to further our mission and continue leading the way in sustainable packaging,” Shuster says. Open Farm and Loop’s sister company, TerraCycle, already have a long and successful history in advancing sustainable packaging. In 2014, they established a recycling program for pet-food bags, 95% of which are considered unrecyclable. To date, the program has recycled 275,000 of them.

As part of our series about strong women leaders, I had the pleasure of interviewing Jacqueline Prehogan, co-founder, Open Farm Pet. At Open Farm, Jacqueline is focused on bringing the brand’s mission and values to life through brand marketing and product innovation. A self-described “crazy dog lady,” Jacqueline’s lifelong passion for animals and commitment to sustainability inspires her to create products that “do some good” for pets, farm animals and the planet. Jacqueline is also the Founder & CEO of Canada Pooch, a leading pet apparel & accessories company, and the recipient of the 2015 EOY Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Jacqueline graduated from Queen’s University in 2007 and went on to earn her CA & CPA before starting her first business in the pet industry.

My pup, Polly, became part of the family before I started on my  low waste, eco friendly journey nearly five years ago! And even though I’ve been working to reduce our household waste for years now, I still continue to struggle with zero waste dog care. There are some aspects of low waste pet care that I’m doing an excellent job at (*ahem* zero waste dog treats!) while others I’m on the hunt for the right solution for our family pup even now. I’m hoping this post will maybe help some other dog parents find solutions for sustainable pet care, but also in hunkering down and doing the research, I’d like to find some answers of my own for my sustainable pup. If you have any advice/suggestions, please do share them in the comments section of this post!  

Low Waste Dog Food Ideas

  I’ve been purchasing dog kibble in large bags from the grocery store since I very first adopted my dog Polly! Unfortunately, those bags of dog food tend to be lined with plastic and must be sent to the landfill when empty. So I usually just try to buy the largest bag I can at the store. However, I did a little crowd sourcing in the Tiny Yellow Bungalow Facebook group a few weeks back to hear what other low waste dog food ideas are out there. I have a few friends that make their own dog food from scratch. How cool! I didn’t even consider making homemade dog food as an option. If you do plan to make your own dog food at home, be sure to research before preparing it. You’ll want to make sure your dog has a well balanced diet! Check out this post The Do’s and Don’ts of Homemade Dog Food.   This post contains Amazon affiliate links.   Now, if you are like me, and don’t want to take the time to make dog food in your own kitchen, the next best option I learned about from our Facebook group is a brand called Open Farm. Apparently, this brand of pet food is super transparent about the sourcing of their non-GMO ingredients. Also, you can recycle the dog food bag through Terracycle when empty. It’s not a completely waste free option but I think it’s a great solution.   If you have any low waste dog food recommendations to share, I would love to hear about them in the comments section!  

Zero Waste Dog Poop Disposal

  Ok, what to do with the poo?! There are a few different options for pet waste disposal.  

1. Use plastic bags you already have. For example, if you purchase a loaf of bread or bag of bagels from the grocery store, they tend to come in a plastic bag. You could reuse these bags as dog poo bags.
2. Use compostable dog poop bags. There are tons of compostable dog poop bags on the market these days. Many of them are made from bioplastics. My only concern about compostable dog poop bags is that nothing composts in the landfill. The process of composting requires air (hence, turning your compost heap with a shovel or spinning your compost tumbler). Landfills tightly compact garbage together so there isn’t any circulation, meaning you are basically preserving the dog poo in the landfill. I know… pretty gross, haha!
3. Backyard Dog Poop Composter. I’ve heard mixed reviews about the Doggie Dooley poo composter but maybe you could come up with a similar system of composting dog waste in your backyard. Unfortunately, you can’t compost dog poop with your regular household compost, so you’d definitely need a separate system.

 

Zero Waste Dog Treats

My dog Polly adores homemade dog treats! They’re super simple to prepare. We love to make fresh juice at our house, and I usually toss the leftover juice pulp in the compost. However, a fellow zero waster mentioned that you can use the pulp to make dog treats so I decided to try it out! Not only are they completely waste free but also vegan. Here’s the recipe I used:   3 cups leftover juice pulp (I keep leftover pulp in the freezer until I have 3 cups worth) 1 cup oats 1/2 cup peanut butter   Preheat oven to 350F. Mix together all ingredients. Roll out dough into cookie sized balls and place on a baking sheet. Bake treats until hard, about 15 minutes. Cool and then they are ready for your pup to enjoy!   These zero waste dog treats were so simple to make and such a fun way to use leftover juice pulp rather than just tossing it in the compost bin. I’m excited to experiment more with the recipe.   Do you have a favorite homemade dog treat recipe?   Another zero waste dog treat option is purchasing dog treats in bulk! Our local pet store has a bulk section for pet treats. We love to go there and fill up on plastic free dog treats. I take a reusable bulk bag with me to fill up, and then empty them into my own glass jar when I get home! I know this isn’t an option for everyone. On the flip side, I’ve noticed that a lot of dog treats at the grocery store come packaged in a paper box. If you purchase dog treats in a paper box, you could at the very least compost or recycle the box. This might be a good option for your pup if you don’t have bulk treats available or the time to make homemade treats from scratch.

Zero Waste Dog Toys

  To be completely honest, I don’t buy Polly a lot of dog toys. She’s a heavy chewer and will destroy just about every single toy I give her in a matter of minutes. Seriously, stuffed animals will be shredded in to tiny pieces in thirty seconds flat haha. We usually stick to large marrow filled bones because they last a long time. Yes, they do often come wrapped in plastic, but they just last so much longer in comparison to other pet toys. If you don’t have a heavy chewer, consider purchasing pet toys secondhand if you can, purchasing pet toys made of hemp. or even making your own DIY pet toys. You can take an old t-shirt and knot/braid it into the perfect tug of war toy for your dog!   My dog Polly does have a lot of energy. I feel like more important than giving her toys to play with at home, she needs plenty of exercise. We always make sure she gets a good run in with Sebastian daily. She’s less likely to get into mischief if she’s tired. Be sure to exercise your pups!  

Welcome to the GZW gift guide of 2019! Creating gift guides every year is one of my favorite blog posts to write.   Both my mother and I have the love language of gifts. And, I’ve worked to reconcile that with adopting a more minimal and low-waste lifestyle to the point that my love language has probably shifted to acts of service.   But, the fact remains, I still love gifting and receiving physical gifts. I love gifting experiences and consumable gifts, but I also love giving physical things too.         Gifting physical gifts is a rare opportunity to spread the sustainable living message in a kind way. I have gifted small reusable items like straws or beeswax wraps and watched my non-eco parents and friends love the products SO much that they started adopting more zero waste habits.   If you’ve ever gifted a zero-waste swap, then you know what I’m talking about!   I’ve divided this blog post into a few separate categories so you can easily find the perfect gift for everyone on your list.  

1. gifts for the adventurer
2. gifts for the home
3. gifts for the budding environmentalist
4. gifts for the fashionista
5. gifts for the foodie

  There will also be a stocking stuffer post coming out this Friday for smaller gifts so be on the lookout!  

gifts for the foodie

  I LOVE good food. I mean who doesn’t? I love simple pleasures like my homemade morning latte traditions which are always made with tea instead of coffee as well as getting to whip up a feast and entertain a crowd. I mean, I think you’d have to, to have hosted Thanksgiving dinner for the last five years. So, here are a few of my favorite kitchen items.    

 

    reVessel Adventure Kit This adventure kit is designed as a completely modular system so all of the pieces can be used together or separate making this perfect for packing up leftovers, getting take away, bringing lunch to work or school, and even for meal prepping.   The kit is also leakproof and oven safe making it a foodies best friend. ReVessel also gives back a portion of each sale to Farmer’s Footprint and Changing Tides.   Check out the reVessel Adventure Kit  

 

  Bestselling Bundle The best thing about the Further Food blends is that they’ve already mixed the adaptogens in!   While Further Food is packaged in plastic, they use 100% post-consumer recycled plastic #2.   Using recycled plastic reduces the carbon footprint by 78%, drastically improves the carbon footprint for travel due to it being lighter than glass, it consumes 90% less energy, and it’s a pure plastic (not a mix!) so it can be recycled again and again.   Check out Further Food’s Bestselling Bundle and get 15% off with the code ‘GOINGZEROWASTE’    

 

  Homestead Turkey & Chicken Let’s be honest, Nala is probably a bigger foodie than me. And, that girl is picky! She’s a food snob and has been known to turn her nose up at A LOT of good food.   However, she LOVES Open Farm! And, I love Open Farm because they have amazing traceability, and they source from Certified Humane farms. They’ve also partnered with TerraCycle so all of their packaging can be taken back for recycling.   Check out Nala’s Fav Homestead Turkey & Chicken    

 

  Loose Leaf Tea Gift Set Wize Monkey has made an award-winning delicious tea from coffee leaves. Yes - coffee leaves! Sounds crazy, but when you taste it, you'll know why it's critically acclaimed.   Coffee leaves normally get discarded during the 9 month off season when most most farmers are out of work so Wize Monkey is helping by offering employment during that time! My personal favorite is the loose leaf Earl Gray.   Check out the build your own loose leaf gift set and get 20% off with the code ‘gwf20’   I really hope you enjoyed my gift guide this year! I’m going to link to a few more holiday posts below, and stay tuned for my Stocking Stuffer guide that’s coming out on Friday!

If you buy pet snacks and treats, they usually come in plastic pouches. These are primarily polyethylene but contain other materials, so they don’t belong in grocery store bag recycling bins. You’ll need to find a TerraCycle brigade to recycle these products, and there aren’t currently any pet food pouch programs.

Choosing the right food for your dog is a daunting task. Not only does Open Farm provide unprecedented transparency for pet owners, but they also maintain a deep commitment to high-quality nutrition and humane sourcing. Their single-source protein ingredients are certified throughout the supply chain by independent partners like Humane Farm Animal Care, Ocean Wise, Seafood Watch and TerraCycle.

It can be a challenge to be a pet lover and to be environmentally responsible (a case in point being kitty litter). When it comes to recycling pet-food bags, it often comes down to what the bag is made of, and what your curbside hauler, or a local drop-off program, accepts. We consulted Diane Herndon, senior manager of sustainability for Purina, to get some input on whether pet food bags are recyclable. She says the packaging used for dry pet food is made up of a variety of materials, including polypropylene, paperboard, and mixed plastics (polyester and polyethylene).

This year was one of historic significance. The global community had a front-row seat to developments on the world-stage of international politics, the movements of which have implications for this coming year and all those to follow. More connected by technology than ever, the world’s citizens engaged in discussions of pressing issues like human rights and environmental sustainability, speaking to an increased willingness to convert values into action.   At TerraCycle, 2016 notched a decade and a half of dedication to the circular economy, corporate social responsibility and the renewal of the world’s finite resources.  Through free recycling programs, custom recycling solutions and partnerships with some of the world’s largest companies, TerraCycle so far has engaged more than 60 million people to recycle in 23 countries, diverting nearly 4 billion units of difficult-to-recycle waste from landfills and incinerators and raising $15 million for charity.   Milestones this year include the launch of new programs that marked the first time TerraCycle has recycled in their respective categories. Henkel, a leading global manufacturer of industrial adhesives, including the LOCTITE® brand, became the first company to offer a recycling solution for anaerobic adhesive packaging. The main challenge with recycling the polyethylene [PE] plastic bottles and the reason they are not accepted by the conventional waste management infrastructure is due to the residual adhesive. Learning about the adhesives and how they cure allowed us to develop a solution and recycle this category of material for the first time.   The year also saw us finalize a partnership with SUEZ, one of the largest waste management companies in the world. Through the deal, SUEZ can bring TerraCycle’s consumer-facing programs to its customers in France, the UK, Belgium, Finland, the Netherlands and Sweden, and we gain access to perhaps the world’s largest sales force dedicated to the circular economy.   Recyclability is among the top purchase drivers for a range of consumer products, and finding new ways to engage consumers and end-users on our programs adds value for current and potential partners. Instrument string manufacturer D’Addario this year launched their Recycle and Restring events, which bring recycling into local music stores across the country, showing communities what sustainability could do for them. Open Farm’s #RecycleWithOpenFarm contest and Tom’s of Maine’s Green Your School Fund (a nationwide school science competition on which I had the pleasure of judging) were social media activations that demonstrated the power of digital eco-activism and its latent ability to bring people together over sustainability and CSR.   Unprecedented sales in our Zero Waste Box division showed that consumers are increasingly willing to pay a premium for sustainable goods and services, include those which solve for waste. Consumers enjoy the convenience and innovation of this turn-key recycling solution, and some companies (like paper shredders and waste management entities) have begun using the platform to expand their portfolio of services, diversifying their offerings and scaling for growth by piggy-backing on their own route logistics.   As it stands, waste is a negative value commodity: people pay to have it taken away. TerraCycle is in the business of solving for waste by not only capturing this refuse, but bringing value to it so that people will pay for products made out of recycled materials. This year called for a massive expansion of our international sales force to answer a growing demand for circular solutions at all levels of consumption, making for our most profitable yet. The challenge in 2017 will be to continue nurturing this market to ease the strain on the Earth’s resources and move us towards a more sustainable, circular global economy.