Our Story
Driving The Pet Treat Industry Forward With Innovation
At the heart of Woof Island lies a passion for innovating the pet treat industry — redefining an outdated business model to eliminate unnecessary costs, improve quality, and place greater value on the customers themselves.
The Woof Island story is a tapestry woven with entrepreneurial ventures since the early 2000s. Within this rich tapestry, three key enterprises converged to fuel the innovation present today:
- A software company designed to connect customers with multiple storefronts at once, giving them more control over their purchase decisions.
- An import business that provided Americans with innovative products otherwise unavailable in the region.
- A third-party logistics company that allowed importers to expedite their processes and cut costs.
Despite the massive differences in industry, all of these pursuits shared one common thread: a relentless drive toward innovation.
Woof Island is the most passionate reflection of that pursuit.
The idea formed as a solution for dog owners forced between two stark choices:
or
2. Pay a steep premium to feed their dog natural treats.
Frustratingly, there was no middle ground at the time. Thus, in 2017, a new company was formed and a dive into the pet treats industry was taken. This precursor to Woof Island started with a few veteran partnerships. They helped bring to light the problems associated with mass middlemen use within the industry. Almost every major pet treat brand was outsourcing its production to external factories (raising prices and lowering quality).
So, instead of following traditional industry trends, a different route was taken . . .
One that, while requiring more work, allowed the company to drastically cut costs without sacrificing quality akin to premium competitors. But the innovation didn’t stop there.
2020 marks the official creation of the Woof Island brand. It's also the point where we started to make major strides within the pet treat industry — mainly through our Elk Antlers.
Sourced by harvesters from the same forest floors where the antlers are shed, these treats stayed true to the word “natural,” combining tons of nutritious benefits with a taste that dogs can’t resist.
Unfortunately, this posed a significant challenge: pricing. Though other brands offered natural elk antlers, a premium price was always demanded.
The need for multiple outside specialists inflated costs, forcing those who distributed elk antlers to significantly increase the price offered to retailers (and then consumers). So, using previous knowledge of logistics and distribution, we came up with a plan to vertically integrate the entire process. From harvesting to trimming to packaging to distributing, we took control of the entire business. Though the initial investment was steep, the reduction in costs was invaluable, allowing us to pass savings onto the retailer.
Today, our pursuit of innovation continues to stride forward with the introduction of our Coconut Treats. A superfood for canines, coconut oil has been shown to aid in digestion, energy, and brain function. As a result, many pet owners have begun adding it to their dog’s diet. Unfortunately, this comes with a few problems:
1. It’s tedious, requiring owners to manually mix the oil in their pet’s food each day.
2. It’s notoriously messy, leaving sticky residue everywhere (even on store shelves).
Our Coconut Treats solve both of these issues, offering a delicious, mess-free solution to incorporating consistent quantities of coconut oil in your dog’s diet.
Our treats have been enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of dogs across the county and are sold through a nationwide network of independent Pet Supply Specialty Stores.
At our core, an intense dedication to innovation spans three key areas: elevated product quality, vertical integration of an outdated business model, and newly formed relationships within the industry. Join us in this pursuit of innovation as we strive to create a world where every pet's well-being is met with smarter, healthier, and tastier treats. Above all, we invite you to dive into our process, learn more about Woof Island, and let us know where you see greater room for improvement.
- Charles Friedman (Founder) & The Woof Island Team 