Barnsley-based pet food manufacturer, Walker & Drake recently took away the top prize for the best ‘New Product – Food’ category at the 2023 Pet Industry Federation (PIF) Awards with their cold pressed Puppy and Small Breed foods.
Founded by its three directors, David Taylor, Richard Grant and Tim Matthews, Walker & Drake was formed with the clear intention of producing a British made, complete nutritional dog food made using the ‘minimal processing’ cold pressed technique. The food is pressed at a lower temperature which means that more of the nutrients are retained in the process creating a product that is higher in protein, breaks down easily in the stomach and aids digestion. The company that only began trading after the first lockdown in 2020 has seen such massive growth in sales of its cold pressed dog food and range of natural treats that in 2023, they opened a new £900,000 production facility in Barnsley.
Tim Matthews explains,
“With Cold Pressed being essentially an artisan process (real people operating real machines) we can be quite dynamic with our production. We make and bag regular batches to keep best before dates long and stock moving quickly through the system. We are particular about ingredient quality and source. We also keep batch samples for traceability and quality consistency purposes.
“We source ingredients within the UK where possible and we feel that with regard to sustainability, we are doing what we can by using as many ingredients that are part of the human food production process. The food is packed in PE/PE 100% recyclable bags.”
Having successfully launched the Walker & Drake Lifestage Food, customer feedback led to the development of a specific puppy formula in Chicken & Duck flavours, as well as a specific Small Breed formula in Turkey, Lamb and Ocean Fish flavours. The Small Breed is made in a smaller kibble size for smaller mouths and contains rice. As well as containing higher meat content, the foods are wheat and gluten free and contain vegetables and botanicals for added vitamins and minerals.
Walker & Drake also introduced a new Salmon Oil and Wet Food to their range of products this year and have now been given a new distribution deal with Pedigree Wholesale Limited which gives them the opportunity distribute their products to retailers and stockists nationwide.
Directors, David Taylor and Tim Matthews who attended the PIF Awards on behalf of Walker & Drake received their award from Gerard O’ Mahony, Managing Director of Pedigree Wholesale Limited and guest of honour, James Middleton.
Commenting on the win, Tim Matthews concludes,
“We are delighted to have won the PIF Best New Product Award. We feel that we have now really made it in the pet food industry particularly as we up against so many established and respected brands. To come away with a win for Best New Product has made all the hard work we have put into the business worthwhile.
Discover all the 2023 PIF Award Winners here
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Dan Everett