Oma’s Pride Raw Pet Food, a fourth-generation family-owned company, has brought together leading voices from the raw and fresh pet food sector for its inaugural Raw Roundtable, a collaborative discussion focused on nutrition, accessibility, packaging innovation, and the future of feeding pets real food.
The discussion, which was hosted by Bryan MacDonald, Director of E-Commerce at Oma’s Pride, included Amy Zalneraitis, Co-Founder and Chief Brand Officer at We Feed Raw; Billy Hoekman, VP of Nutrition & Formulation at Green Juju; and Kelley Marian, Founder and Owner of Green Juju. The panellists’ united goal was to educate pet parents and enhance pet health through physiologically appropriate feeding, even though they represented various brands and methods.
Making raw feeding more accessible was a major topic of discussion. MacDonald stressed that “a little raw is better than no raw,” emphasising the significance of removing obstacles for pet parents who are unfamiliar with fresh feeding. This sentiment was shared by Amy Zalneraitis, who emphasised knowledge and adaptability, while Kelley Marian advocated for modest, doable adjustments that nonetheless have a significant effect.
The panel also discussed nutritional trends that are strongly related to human wellness, such as minimal processing, natural foods, and organ meats. The speakers concurred that giving actual food could be one of the most effective long-term health initiatives, given the growing worries about pet obesity and cancer. Adoption was found to be significantly influenced by packaging and ease. Careful design is assisting pet parents in maintaining consistency without compromising quality, from peel-back and freeze-dried formats to grab-and-go frozen options.
The participants were quite optimistic about the future of the category. They pointed out that independent brands are in a unique position to create with integrity, passion, and purpose. The Raw Roundtable is the first in a series that Oma’s Pride has planned to promote openness, cooperation, and advancement in the raw pet food sector.
