So excited to hear from Christian at Honest Pet Collective and capture their journey as they continue their growth and exciting plans.

Gordo has been on Honest Kibble for a year now and he absolutely loves all three flavours, even eats them all mixed together which is called the ‘Gordo Special’.

For our friends with Cats, you need to look at their health monitoring Cat Litter and it’s now available in Bunnings!

Please enjoy xx

These are their unedited words…

Please share your story

The Honest Pet Collective was founded by a group of animal lovers who wanted to make good nutrition and quality products more accessible for everyone. We noticed a significant gap in the market: there were very few options for better-quality pet food at a reasonable price. This led to a belief that all pets, regardless of circumstance, deserved health-positive food.

The brand's initial inspiration came from two deeply personal experiences:

For the dog food: The first inspiration was our dog named Rubi, who became the mascot for the brand's premium, grain-free dog food. We were motivated to create a product that was high-quality yet affordable, ensuring more pet owners could provide excellent nutrition for their dogs.

For the cat litter: The second, inspiration came from a street cat named Mr. Ginge, who sadly passed away from undiagnosed kidney problems. This experience was a powerful motivator to create a product that could help pet parents catch potential health issues early. This led to the development of New Zealand's first health-monitoring cat litter and doggy pee pads, both designed to give pet owners peace of mind.

Challenges and Overcoming Them:

While the journey from idea to reality was driven by passion, it came with its own set of challenges. The core mission was to deliver high-quality products at an affordable price, which meant navigating the complexities of sourcing and manufacturing to keep costs down without compromising on quality. The team had to find ways to balance the cost of premium ingredients and innovative technology with a retail price that was accessible to most people.

We overcame these challenges by staying true to our vision and focusing on efficiency and integrity at every step. By keeping a keen eye on our mission providing honest, health-focused products for all pets, we were able to bring the vision to life!

What inspired you to start your business?

I was inspired to start the Honest Pet Collective by two very personal experiences with my own pets.

The first was my dog, Rubi. I wanted to give her the best possible nutrition but was frustrated by the lack of options for high-quality, grain-free dog food at an affordable price. I realised there was a gap in the market and a need to make good nutrition more accessible for all pet owners.

The second, more heartbreaking inspiration came from a street cat I took in, Mr. Ginge. I didn't realise he was sick until it was too late, and he sadly passed away from unknown kidney problems. This experience made me determined to create a product that could help other pet parents avoid a similar situation. It sparked the idea for our health-monitoring cat litter, designed to give a visual early warning sign for potential health issues.

These two stories, one of wanting to provide the best, and the other of needing to be more aware, are the heart of Honest Pet Collective and our mission to create products that support the health and well-being of all pets.

What problem were you looking to solve?

We set out to solve two main problems in the pet care market:

The Problem of Inaccessible Quality

We noticed there was a lack of affordable, high-quality, and grain-free pet food options. Many pet owners want to provide the best nutrition for their animals but are priced out of the premium market. Our goal was to bridge this gap by creating excellent products, starting with our dog food, that wouldn't strain a family's budget.

The Problem of Early Detection

The second, and most personal, problem we wanted to solve was the difficulty of catching pet health issues early. Cats, in particular, are masters at hiding pain and sickness. This can lead to owners not realising their pet is unwell until the problem is severe. We wanted to create a simple, effective tool that could act as an early warning system. This led to the development of our health-monitoring cat litter, which helps pet owners proactively monitor their cat's well-being and get them the care they need sooner.

Do you feel you’ve solved that problem or has it evolved?

I believe we have made significant progress in solving both of those problems, but they are constantly evolving.

By creating Honest Pet Collective, we've successfully brought a premium, grain-free dog food to the market at a more accessible price point. This has directly addressed the lack of affordable, high-quality options we initially saw. However, the market continues to change, and we must keep innovating to maintain this balance of quality and value for our customers.

Our health-monitoring cat litter has provided a powerful tool for early detection, giving countless pet owners a sense of security and a way to proactively monitor their cat's health. While this product has been a game-changer, the problem of pet health awareness is ongoing. We continue to look for new ways to empower pet owners with information and products that help them stay one step ahead of potential health issues. The problem hasn't been completely solved, but our approach has proven to be an effective part of the solution.

What were you most afraid of when starting and how did you push past?

Our biggest fear when starting out was the classic "build it and they will come" dilemma. We were afraid that after all the research and development, we would launch these innovative, high-quality products, but no one would understand their value or be willing to try something new.

We pushed past this fear by focusing on education and sharing life experiences. Instead of just selling a product, we made it our mission to share the personal stories behind our brand, like Mr. Ginge and Rubi, to help people understand the "why." We spent time at pet expos, created educational content for our website and social media, and made sure our packaging clearly communicated the benefits.

By focusing on our passion and the problems we were trying to solve, we were able to build a community of pet owners who trusted us. It turned our initial fear into a powerful motivation to connect with people and show them how our products could genuinely improve their pets' lives.

What inspires you to continue growing and developing your business?

Customer satisfaction and feedback, Innovation and new challenges, Impact on the community/society, Team and employee success, Personal growth and learning, Financial achievements

Expand on what inspires you and any other thoughts you’d like to share.

What inspires us to keep growing and developing, Honest Pet Collective is the impact we see our products having on pets and their families every day. It's the emails and messages from customers sharing their stories, of our health-monitoring litter helping them catch a UTI early, or of their once-fussy dog thriving on our food. These stories transform our mission from an abstract idea into a real, tangible difference in an animal's life.

Our business was born from personal experience, and that connection is what drives us forward. We believe that pet care should be proactive, not reactive, and we are constantly looking for new ways to empower pet owners with better products and information.

We're not just selling pet supplies; we're building a community of caring pet parents who want the best for their companions. The passion of this community, combined with our commitment to quality and transparency, is what fuels our journey to innovate and grow.

Who or what is your biggest inspiration as a business owner?

What a great question.

Our biggest inspiration isn't a person or a company, but rather the pets themselves.

Our business was born from the personal experiences we had with our own pets, our dog Rubi and our cat Mr. Ginge. Their stories are the foundation of everything we do. Rubi's health and happiness inspired us to create a premium, grain-free dog food that was accessible to all. The heartbreak of losing Mr. Ginge motivated us to develop our health-monitoring cat litter so other pet owners could catch problems early.

Every day, we're inspired by the love between pet owners and their companions. That bond is why we're committed to creating products that improve pet wellness, and it's what keeps us innovating. We believe every pet deserves to be happy and healthy, and that's the greatest inspiration of all.

Do you have mentors and/or advisors that you work with?

We don't have a formal board of advisors, but we have built a trusted network of mentors and specialists in the pet industry. These individuals have years of experience in everything from product development and manufacturing to marketing and retail distribution. They act as sounding boards, helping us review our strategies, navigate challenges, and make informed decisions as we continue to grow.

This approach allows us to stay agile while still benefiting from expert guidance, ensuring we remain true to our core mission of creating high-quality, accessible products for pet owners.

What do you find are your biggest challenges and what do you do to keep yourself in the best shape to face these?

We face challenges on two main fronts: product development and market education.

Product Development

Our biggest challenge here is to continuously innovate while maintaining the highest standards of quality and affordability. For example, with our health-monitoring cat litter, we're always working to improve the formula's accuracy and longevity without raising the price. We overcome this by staying committed to our values. We're constantly researching new technologies, talking to pet industry experts, and listening to feedback from our customers. This collaborative approach ensures we're not just creating products, but improving solutions that genuinely work.

Market Education

As a brand focused on proactive pet health, a significant challenge is helping people understand the "why" behind our products. For many, a health-monitoring cat litter is a new concept. To address this, we spend a lot of time on education. We use our social media channels, website, and personal stories to explain the benefits of early health detection. By focusing on storytelling and transparent communication, we've been able to build a community of pet parents who share our passion for proactive care.

Staying in Shape to Face Challenges

To keep ourselves in the best shape to face these challenges, we stay connected to our mission and our community. We regularly remind ourselves of the stories of Rubi and Mr. Ginge, which are the heart of why we started. This grounding in our purpose fuels our passion and helps us stay focused. Additionally, we actively listen to our customers. Their feedback is invaluable and helps us not only improve our products but also understand what problems they're facing next. This close relationship with our community keeps us agile, innovative, and ready for whatever comes our way.

Would you recommend starting a business?

Yes, absolutely

What learnings do you have for those looking to step into business?

For anyone looking to start a business, our biggest learning has been to start with a problem you deeply care about.

Our business wasn't born from a desire to sell pet products, but from a genuine frustration with a lack of good options and the heartbreak of a personal loss. When your business is a direct solution to a problem that matters to you, your passion becomes your greatest asset. It's what will drive you through the countless hours of product development, the challenges of market education, and the inevitable setbacks.

Your personal connection to the problem is what will resonate with your customers. People don't just buy products; they buy into a mission and a story.

It's not enough to have a great product; you have to be able to clearly communicate why it's needed. We've spent as much time on educating our customers about proactive pet health as we have on developing our products. This focus on the "why" turns a simple transaction into a meaningful relationship with your customers.

In the end, starting a business is a marathon, not a sprint. Your passion is the fuel, and your personal story is the map. Find a problem you want to solve, and let your genuine desire to make a difference guide you.

If you’d like to taste test, you can use Gordo10 for a bonus 10% off and Honest have handy test bags if needed.