Pet Project

Dan Schaefer’s babysitter quickly noticed the amount of products from Native Pet — a line of limited-ingredient, all-natural supplements for dogs — around his family’s home. When she asked Schaefer about his familiarity with the company, she was surprised to learn that he isn’t just a devoted customer — he’s the co-founder.

“She was like, ‘Oh my God, no way. I love Native Pet. I had no idea it was in St. Louis,’” Schaefer recalls with a laugh. “If you’re really familiar with the St. Louis community, you’ve probably heard of Native Pet, or if you buy the products and you’re familiar with the category, you’ve probably heard of Native Pet. But connecting the dots that we’re from St. Louis, maybe not as much. It’s fun to get the word out.”

Considering that Native Pet products are sold in Target and PetSmart stores nationwide, it’s easy to see why customers don’t always realize it’s a St. Louis-based company. But for Schaefer and longtime friend Pat Barron, who founded Native Pet in 2017, returning to their hometown to launch the business was an easy decision.

“We’re really proud to be building the business in St. Louis,” Schaefer says. “Pat and I have a lot of civic pride and a feeling of civic duty around helping to build the community here.”

Before launching Native Pet, Barron and Schaefer, who previously worked in corporate strategy and management consulting, had long talked about starting an entrepreneurial endeavor together. After Schaefer and his wife adopted their dog, Louie, in 2014, they zeroed in on an idea. A labrador retriever, Louie came to the couple with a host of health problems — he was malnourished, for instance, and also had skin irritation and fleas. As Schaefer and his wife set about nursing Louie back to health, they started buying nutritional supplements, including probiotics and canned pumpkin, and learning how to achieve targeted health outcomes for some of the side effects Louie was experiencing from being malnourished. His skin irritation, for instance, was likely caused by an upset stomach and a bad mix of gut bacteria. A daily dose of canned pumpkin provided healthy fiber and added extra sustenance to his kibble, and the fiber in the pumpkin also helped feed the good bacteria introduced through the probiotic. As soon as Schaefer shared the impact of these supplements on Louie’s health with Barron, a seed was planted.

“It just felt like there was an opportunity to do something better or different, and we thought working in the pet category would be very fun and rewarding,” Schaefer says. “That was how we got started, and it’s kind of been off to the races ever since.”

From the start, Schaefer and Barron knew they wanted to launch a company specifically focused on nutritional supplements rather than pet food or treats. Health concerns vary widely from pet to pet, and they saw an opportunity to provide an easier way for pet parents to meet those needs.

“We believe that the broad trend in (the) pet (food industry) is customization and personalization,” Schaefer says. “There are other delivery methods for a complete balanced meal, but by and large, most parents still use kibble today. And when you look at kibble, it’s completely balanced, so it’s got everything one dog might need, but it doesn’t necessarily have everything your specific dog needs. But customizing kibble is really hard. There are different breeds, sizes, ages — it would be impossible for a company to make a kibble that is perfectly unique to your dog. There are just too many dogs; it’d be too complicated.”

Supplements, however, can easily be added to any dog’s meal — whether kibble, raw dog food, or even homemade rice and ground beef — to meet their individual needs. The U.S. pet supplement market is estimated at $983.6 million, and it’s projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 5.3% between 2024 and 2030. As the market continues to grow, Native Pet has set itself apart from other brands with its scientific approach, as many of its products have been developed with a board-certified vet nutritionist. All of the ingredients used in its products, including pumpkin for digestive relief or salmon oil for promoting healthy skin and a shiny coat, are backed by scientific data and research, and the company doesn’t use any additives or fillers. Native Pet also employs a full-time food scientist who works closely with the vet nutritionist to evaluate the dosage for each product.

“We really focus on using science-backed ingredients and then making sure we’re doing the work on our end to ensure that the right dose is in the product,” Schaefer says. 

Native Pet also thinks critically about how each supplement should be delivered, including the best format to maximize efficacy of the active ingredient. Some products are available as oils, some as powders, and some as air-dried chews, a proprietary in-house formula that has less processing and additives compared to widely available soft chews.

Several major pet food brands, including Nestlé Purina PetCare and Instinct Pet Food, already call St. Louis home, which Schaefer said provided a great foundation from which to launch the new business.

“If you think about the Purina ecosystem and all the business they’ve been able to bring to the area and everything that spun out of Purina, there’s just been a ton of pet businesses in St. Louis,” Schaefer says. “There’s a nice little epicenter of talent, advisors, other companies, investors, and a center of influence in St. Louis in that category.”

St. Louis’ startup culture, likewise, has played a pivotal role in helping Native Pet grow into the national success story it is today. In addition to having a support network of friends and family that was critical in the business’ initial days, Native Pet found early support in St. Louis’ thriving startup ecosystem. In 2020, Native Pet received a $50,000 grant from Arch Grants, which has awarded more than $10 million in non-dilutive grants to startups, in addition to resources and mentorship, since its founding in 2012. In 2021, Native Pet received a second round of funding through the Growth Grants program, which it has used to target sales growth, add more employees, and expand its presence through marketing and branding initiatives.

“Dan and I grew up in St. Louis, and we’re proud to build the company here,” Barron says. “St. Louis is an incredible place to live and work, but one of the surprising benefits of basing Native Pet here is the constant hometown support and access to talent. In St. Louis, we’re hungry for entrepreneurs and new businesses, and Dan and I always felt that.”

Barron and Schaefer say that Arch Grants has continued to be a great partner for Native Pet, providing crucial funding and resources but also connecting them with a community of like-minded startups, including The Normal Brand, Inclusively, and Balto, that have inspired them as Native Pet has continued to grow over the past few years. Schaefer says the company has at least doubled, if not tripled, sales each year since 2017, including launching a national partnership with Target in 2022. 

As Native Pet continues to grow and expand nationally — including launching sales in all PetSmart stores nationwide in August 2024 — it remains firmly rooted in St. Louis. The company recently moved into new, larger offices at City Foundry STL, and Schaefer says it was important for both the co-founders and their employees, many of whom live in the city of St. Louis, to stay in the area. 

Moving forward, Native Pet is focused on continuing to develop new products and wholesale retail partnerships with the goal of reaching even more pets and pet parents across the country. 

“The most impactful thing for me is just hearing from customers about the impact our products have had on their dog’s life,” Schaefer says. “It’s not like we’re developing cancer drugs, but pets are really important to a lot of people and they bring a lot of joy to our lives. People really care about their pets, so if you can help improve their quality of life, it really makes a meaningful impact on the pet and the pet parent. It’s rewarding and just a lot of fun to see the impact our products have had on our customers and their pets.”