Melissa Slabskyj's dream to feed the demand for pet supplements became a reality after moving to Paruna, a town with less than 50 people and one general store, in South Australia.
"We have four dogs ourselves and love to camp, so we designed something convenient to take travelling that didn't need to stay cold".The concept, four years in the making, has received marketing and research support through a business incubator, with an eye to eventually getting the product onto supermarket shelves.
"It's really important to us to feed our dogs top quality meat to keep them in good condition," she said.While Ms Slabskyj has stepped back from the business for a while, she said she had been pleased with initial interest through online sales and through her town's general store.Bordertown hemp farmer and owner of Good Country Hemp, Mick Andersen, started making pet food products to ensure every part of his plants got used.
He said the products were intended as a health supplement for pets, which could help with arthritic pain, skin conditions, improve joint function and aid with muscle recovery.Mr Andersen said people who bought his product seemed willing to pay more for hemp oil for their dogs, than they would pay for themselves.
"The pet market is enormous, and it's a different beast to the one that we've been used to with our human-grade products."A report by Animal Medicines Australia last year estimated around 69 per cent of Australians had a pet in their household, up from 61 per cent before the COVID-19 pandemic.