Dogs wolf down Perthshire raw pet food

A Perthshire raw pet food brand is shipping more than 140,000 canine meals every week to dog owners across the UK after experiencing rapid growth.

Bella & Duke was founded by friends Mark Scott and Tony Ottley after three of their four dogs developed cancer. Picture: Gill Murray

Bella & Duke, an online subscription service which supplies frozen dog food made from natural ingredients, has enjoyed double-digit growth month-on-month since it was established less than two years ago.

The Blairgowrie-based business offers customers across the UK a subscription to canine meals made from meat blended with seasonally adjusted vegetables and fruits.

All are gluten and grain free and all meat is sourced from human grade UK factories accredited by the British Retail Consortium.

It now delivers more than 140,000 frozen meals each week, amounting to close to 10,000 pet food packages each month, from its Perthshire distribution centre.

Bella & Duke was founded by friends Mark Scott and Tony Ottley after three of their four dogs developed cancer. The pair were concerned that processed diets had contributed to their illnesses and decided to take action.

The business announced a near £1 million investment boost from a funding round in December, following on from £300,000 seed investment it had secured earlier in the year.

Ottley said: “We are what we eat and it’s exactly the same with dogs. Only humans and dogs and cats eat processed food. Every other species eats raw food.

“Yet so many customers come to us as a last resort because their animals are having health issues.

“What they soon discover is raw food is so much better for their dog and they know we have developed it as dog lovers ourselves.

“We’ve been delighted with how Bella & Duke has been received by dog owners. Our journey started with sadness but it’s become something very positive.”