Meet the St. Louis–based entrepreneurs behind Native Pet treats

St. Louis–based pet treat company Native Pet was an idea born from an unmet need.

Dog owners and longtime friends Patrick Barron and Dan Schaefer noticed that there weren’t many options on the market for healthy treats for their dogs, Albie and Louie, a Catahoula leopard dog mix and a Labrador retriever, respectively They came up with a game plan, and in 2017 the pair founded Native Pet, a line of limited-ingredient, all-natural supplements for dogs and cats, and embarked on an impressive entrepreneurial journey. Just this month, Target stores nationwide began carrying Native Pet products (in the St. Louis area, find them at the Ballwin and Chesterfield locations). They can also be purchased through Amazon, Chewy, and the brand’s site nativepet.com.

Barron and Schaefer spoke with St. Louis Magazine from their offices in downtown St. Louis. 

How did you two meet?

PB: We grew up together in St. Louis and were always sharing ideas and testing out different entrepreneurial plans and businesses that failed. It was an ongoing process of exploring together different ideas, and that all culminated with Native Pet. 

How did the idea for Native Pet come about?

DS: We founded the company based on our own experience as pet parents. When I adopted Louie, he came to us with all sorts of weird health issues. He had fleas; he had a stomach worm. [My wife and I] were living in Ann Arbor, and they tend to be a bit more holistic there. We got really into this kind of specialty nutrition for our dog.

And what stuck with us from that is that if supplements are huge in humans, they should be even bigger for dogs or cats because you have total control over your pet’s diet. It’s not like it is for humans where your diet might change based on a happy hour with friends or a big family dinner, or you eat junk because you’re stressed or busy.

You have total control over your dog’s diet, and you make fewer compromises for your dog than you do for yourself. You’re much more willing to have a cheap meal or do something unhealthy for you than you would be for your dog. We just always felt like supplements should be huge in the pet category, and at the time, they weren’t.

Where did you see an opportunity for growth in the pet market?

DS: There was also a lot of junk in pet food, and I think that’s evolved over time. The packaging of existing products wasn’t attractive. Overall, we saw that there was a lot of room for improvement, and then we started on this entrepreneurial journey. It was a matter of connecting the dots between our personal experiences and our professional experiences in product development. We felt strongly that there was a thesis around functional foods and supplements. We both went full steam ahead and [the company] has been an evolution from there.

What separates Native from other companies?

PB: It’s all about the clean label, or the limited ingredients. And we want to deliver in a much simpler, cleaner way, and do it with a brand that people can relate to. For us, brand is important. But more important is getting the product right and having it deliver for our customers. We’re more natural than our competitors and that allows us to use fewer filler ingredients.

What’s it like being part of the start-up community in St. Louis?

DS: We’ve been part of Arch Grants, and now we’re part of the new Growth Grants, which is like the “level two” of Arch Grants. Arch Grants is an amazing organization and very supportive. They’re basically there on call for anything that you need; it’s a great support network. What has also been fun is that there’s a lot of consumer products talent in St. Louis, but there hasn’t really been a unifying presence or a center for excellence for consumer-packaged goods (CPG) in St. Louis, and we can feel the start of a CPG entrepreneur community forming now in St. Louis that we’re a part of.

It’s been fun to help catalyze more conversation around CPG in St. Louis. St. Louis is a logical place for there to be a lot of energy around packaged goods. This city is one of the oldest and most historic packaged goods markets in the U.S., with Anheuser-Busch and Purina, so there is a pedigree here.

How does St. Louis impact your work life and your vision for the company?

DS: There’s a need for new blood to come into the city and have companies start and grow here. I think Native Pet can be one of those companies. So, for us, it’s important to get the talent that is here to have a better work culture; the talent is here, it’s just about finding it. Being based in St. Louis is about being part of that story and having others join our effort and catalyzing this next wave of companies that the city needs. [Native Pet is hiring and encourages people to get in touch about opportunities.]

There’s also a lot of pet talent in St. Louis and there are a lot of major pet brands in St. Louis, so it’s been great being based here, particularly on the operations side. There are tons of people with experience in pet procurement, manufacturing, sourcing, and regulatory. From that perspective, St. Louis has been a great talent pool.

Where do you see opportunities for growth for the St. Louis business scene?

PB: Getting retailers and stores [in St. Louis] to support local businesses. So, for us, that means getting in touch with Schnucks, Dierbergs, the pet stores that are locally based that can help us say: This is a local business based in St. Louis. Getting local retailers behind us is a great way for us to reach consumers. On the investment side, I think there could be more capital focused on consumer-packaged goods companies based in St. Louis.

What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs?

PB: Don’t be too attached to an idea because the idea may evolve, and you have to adapt to what’s working and what’s not—and be honest with yourself about that. 

DS: I’d also say, think big, but start small. It’s good to have a big, grand vision, but sometimes when people think too big it gets you into paralysis mode. Have your big aspirational dreams, but start small, take action, and hope all those small things add up to your big vision for your business.

Anne McCarthy is an independent journalist from St. Louis who splits her time between the U.S. and Europe. She is a contributing writer to the BBC, The Guardian, The Washington Post, Business Insider, Shondaland, and more. Follow her on Twitter @annemitchmcc.