'Body Shop for pets': Transforming the pet food industry

THEY'VE put everything into their new business and now this Evans Head couple is changing the world, one dog at a time.

Diana Scott from Frontier Pets in Evans Head with her dogs Frankie and Jarjar. Picture: Susanna Freymark

FOUR years ago Diana Scott was living in a caravan with her husband Tony, planning to change the world - one dog at a time.

She had always been passionate about feeding her family healthy free range food and supported advocacy groups to end factory farming.

One day she had an epiphany.

"I opened a bag of dog food and it didn't look very healthy," Ms Scott said.

She rang a dog nutritionist to ask what she should feed her two bull terriers, one of which suffered a skin condition.

"She said feed them raw meat," Ms Scott said.

"And she said if you want ethical food, you'll have to do it yourself."

Ms Scott spent every Sunday making healthy food for her dogs using ethically sourced meat and freezing it.

"It took up all my freezer space," she said.

"And it took too long."

Travelling in New Zealand, her and Tony saw the process of freeze drying.

She spent all of November in 2017 meeting with farmers producing free range products.

To her surprise they were excited about her venture for ethical pet food.

The couple moved from the Gold Coast because they couldn't find a suitable site.

Based at the Evans Head Industrial Estate, Frontier Pets has been running for one year.

"We've put everything into the business and bought this site which had been vacant for six years," Ms Scott said.

The freeze drying process machine was worth a million dollars, Ms Scott said.

Now employing 13 people at the factory, the plan is to start doing cat food and then ethical dog beds and products.

Currently their pet food sold through vets, online and from the reception at Frontier Pets.

The pet food industry is currently self regulated and Ms Scott said their 100 per cent free range freeze dried dog food is ground breaking and will help eliminate factory farming one dog at a time.

"We're like the Body Shop but for pets," Ms Scott said as her large pit bull Jarjar nibbled a healthy and ethical pellet.

Last month Frontier Pets won Best Business of the Year at the Richmond Valley Business Awards.

Pet food industry transformation

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