It’s a dogs life for Notts entrepreneur

A Nottingham entrepreneur has swapped human food for the canine variety with the launch of his latest business venture.

Darren Beale, who founded MuscleFood.com and grew it to £48m in sales before exiting, has now launched dog food brand Years.com along with co-founders Ivan Barashki and Phillip Bridgen.

The new brand has been created based on scientific principles outlined in a longevity study by Dr Gerald Lippert which says dogs fed a fresh, wholefood diet can live up to three years longer than those fed processed foods.

Meals include steak and chicken thigh as well as vegetables, seeds and fruits to meet each dog’s exact needs. The Complete Nutrition System also includes prebiotics, probiotics, a superfood supplement and breed specific recipes.

Customers sign up for the service by providing detailed information about their dog including its age, breed, weight and gender as well as its lifestyle and exercise habits.

They then receive steam cooked meals created by a team of chefs using wholefood, seasonal ingredients and prime cuts of meat.

Beale’s previous business made premium cuts of meat and other foods available at affordable prices and was popular with families as well as with fitness enthusiasts. He’s now hoping to repeat that success in a new market – the UK’s 14 million dog owners.

He said: “Britain is a nation of dog lovers and around 14 million UK adults own one. Most are incredibly devoted to them.

“We really love our pets and naturally we want to spend as much time with them as we possibly can. That means making sure they live as long as they possibly can.

“But when we researched the market we discovered that most dogs are fed a highly processed diet which doesn’t help them maximise their potential lifespan.

“We believe we have developed a far healthier alternative and we’ve named it Years.com because we feel confident it can add years to the lives of dogs.”

He added that friend Barashki initially suggested the idea after his childhood dog Hera passed away from cancer in 2020 after being fed a processed, kibble diet.

Barashki wanted to create a dog food that offered all the vitamins, minerals and nutrients a pet needs to live a healthy, long healthy life.

Over 21,000 Years.com meals have been trialled by dogs ahead of launch with the complete nutrition system tailored to breed and each individual four-legged customer.

Barashki said: “It was important for us to develop a nutrition system to support every dog – as dog lovers we know every animal is different.

“Over the last three years, we’ve worked with qualified vets and dog nutritionists to scientifically perfect our recipes. We use these studies and data, alongside the information customers provide us with about their dog to create a highly accurate recipe.

“This determines the exact number of calories and ingredients you should be feeding your dog. What works for a healthy Cockapoo is very different to what an elderly Border Collie will need.

“Early feedback from customers has been incredible – their dogs are loving the meals perfected for them.

“Next for us is meals for puppies. The nutrition they need is very different to that of an older dog and because we refuse to compromise with a one size fits all approach, it was important for us to get this right for them. We’re looking forward to seeing just how much they love the meals.”

Beale added: “It really is unlike anything ever offered to dog parents before. No more hoping you’re feeding your dog the right nutrition, no more ordering toppers and supplements to enhance kibble. With one click, you can be confident your dog is getting 100% complete nutrition for them from wholefood meals.”