Sellersville, PA
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E: info@annamaet.com
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Science, sustainability and a love for animals are the ingredients behind super premium Annamaet Petfoods — and they’re central to the family-owned company’s selection of supplements, too.
Rob Downey grew up around dogs and became a champion sled-dog driver, wrangling his elite animal athletes in races from Alaska to Argentina. Years ago, one of his lead dogs, Heidi, suffered hind end paralysis. “She couldn’t even get out of her doghouse,” Rob recalls. After careful adjustments to Heidi’s diet, “not only did she improve, but the whole team improved.” Rob says that a-ha moment inspired seven years of graduate work in canine nutrition at the University of Pennsylvania.
Annamaet has 35 years of experience in formulating science-based pet nutrition.
Annamaet Petfoods launched in 1986, named for Rob’s mother, Anna Mae, who fostered his love for animals. (Rob’s wife and company co-founder, Mary Jo, added the “t” to evoke the word “animate” — to give spirit or life to something.)
Annamaet introduced its first supplement a decade later and it now has four formulas to add spirit to beloved pets’ lives. All carry the National Animal Supplement Council Seal of Approval, and Annamaet also partners with the Pet Sustainability Coalition.
Annamaet Endure was developed to support healthy joints and digestion in dogs of all ages.
One longtime best-selling product, Annamaet Endure, supports joint integrity and healthy gut function. Rob notes that joint supplements were originally designed for older dogs, “but the current research indicates that if you start the supplements when dogs are younger, you’ll have fewer issues when they get old.” Available in three sizes, Annamaet Endure also includes psyllium husk to improve digestion. Just like humans, dogs need a good microbiome since so much of a healthy immune system depends on a healthy gut.
The Downey family are dog lovers just like you.
Annamaet Enhance is the company’s newest supplement, developed with two board-certified veterinary nutritionists to ensure adequate vitamins and minerals for dogs who eat raw diets or home-prepared pet foods. “That’s important to retailers because home-prepared diets are a growing segment of the market that’s not going anywhere,” Rob says, and studies show that 60% of homemade pet diets are deficient in at least one nutrient. When you discover customers who make their own pet food, “here’s an idea to open a conversation for something that would benefit their dog.”
Rob says Annamaet is working hard to drive customers into brick-and-mortar pet shops, and that in-store sales for the company’s products are on the rise, even amid the online retail boom of 2020. Alex Downey — Rob’s son and Annamaet’s business development manager — says the company often hears from people who’ve heard about Annamaet products via social media and want to know where to buy them in person. The company offers many easy ways for retailers to bone up on product knowledge to help these future customers, from Zoom trainings to newsletters and videos.
Annamaet Enhance is the ideal supplement for home-prepared pet food, which may lack vitamins and minerals. MSRPs: $39.99 – $56.99
Your independent pet store needs to be a destination and trusted information source — not simply another stop on a list of errands — and Annamaet supplements can help that happen. As Rob Downey says, “if you can engage customers in conversations about good, science-backed products” and suggest ways that animal companions can live longer, healthier lives, pet lovers are sure to return to your business for more products, advice and canine camaraderie.