Introduction
In recent years, fresh and raw dog food delivery services have become increasingly popular. Brands like JustFoodForDogs and Farmer’s Dog ship freshly made, human-grade dog food directly to consumers’ doors. These brands offer an alternative to traditional kibble by providing dog food made from whole, natural ingredients without any artificial preservatives.
The fresh dog food is never frozen and is meant to be served immediately or stored for a few days in the refrigerator. Many pet owners choose these delivery services because they want to provide their dogs with high-quality nutrition made from ingredients people eat themselves. The market for fresh, raw dog food delivery has grown rapidly as pet owners seek out alternatives to mass-produced kibble.
Overview of JustFoodForDogs
JustFoodForDogs was founded in 2010 by entrepreneur Shawn Buckley, who had a passion for improving dog nutrition and health. The company is headquartered in Irvine, California. JustFoodForDogs was founded by Shawn Buckley in 2010 out of his desire to elevate the nutritional quality of traditional dog food (https://www.lcatterton.com/Investments.html#!/y/y/justfoodfordogs). Buckley is a serial entrepreneur who has successfully started and sold several businesses. His current focus is on providing fresh, balanced, species-appropriate diets for dogs through JustFoodForDogs (https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawn-buckley).
JustFoodForDogs Product Lines
JustFoodForDogs offers three main product lines: fresh food, veterinary diets, and treats (https://www.justfoodfordogs.com/daily-meals/).
The fresh food line includes recipes like Beef & Russet Potato, Chicken & White Rice, Turkey & Whole Wheat Macaroni, and Fish & Sweet Potato (https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/brand/justfoodfordogs). These meals are made from human-grade ingredients and cooked in JustFoodForDogs’ own kitchens. They can be ordered as daily meals tailored to your dog’s nutritional needs.
The veterinary diets are therapeutic recipes formulated to support dogs with specific health conditions. They offer recipes for issues like gastrointestinal disorders, kidney disease, pancreatitis, allergies, obesity, and more. The food is customized to meet veterinary nutritional standards.
JustFoodForDogs also offers a variety of oven-baked treat recipes made with natural ingredients like peanut butter, bananas, pumpkin, and cranberries. These provide healthy, natural snacks for dogs.
JustFoodForDogs Pricing
JustFoodForDogs offers a variety of pricing and subscription options to fit different budgets and needs. Some key points on their pricing:
Cost per meal ranges from $5.99 – $7.99 depending on the specific recipe and subscription plan. The sampler packs with variety of proteins run from $6.99 – $7.99 per meal.
They offer subscription plans that deliver every 2, 4, or 8 weeks with increasing discounts up to 25% for the 8 week delivery. There are also one-time purchase options without a subscription.
According to their website, their mission-based pricing aims to keep costs lower than competitors so more pet parents can afford fresh, human-grade food. They say their pricing is typically 20% lower than other fresh pet food companies.
For specific pricing details, refer to: https://www.justfoodfordogs.com/mission_based_pricing.html
Overview of Farmer’s Dog
Farmer’s Dog was founded in 2015 by Brett Podolsky and Jonathan Regev. The two were dissatisifed with the highly processed dog foods on the market and wanted to provide fresh, human-grade food delivered directly to consumers’ doors (Our Story and Mission – The Farmer’s Dog).
Based in New York City, Farmer’s Dog’s headquarters is located in the SoHo neighborhood of Manhattan (The Farmer’s Dog Founders’ Story).
After bootstraping initially, Farmer’s Dog has gone on to raise significant venture capital, including a $39 million Series B round in 2019 led by Insight Partners (The Farmer’s Dog Raises $39 Million In The Largest Series B Round For A Pet Startup – Forbes). This brought their total funding at the time to $49 million.
Farmer’s Dog Product Lines
Farmer’s Dog creates customized and personalized fresh food plans for dogs based on their age, breed, activity level, ideal weight, sensitivities, and other factors. Each dog receives a unique blend of recipes prepared with wholesome ingredients delivered to their home. The food is cooked, portioned, and shipped fresh nationwide.
Some key features of Farmer’s Dog’s product lines:
- Personalized meals designed by veterinary nutritionists
- Made with human-grade ingredients like beef, chicken, turkey, lamb, brown rice, carrots, spinach
- Prepared in a human food facility in the US
- Cooked and gently pasteurized at low temperatures to preserve nutrients
- Never frozen, dehydrated, or extruded like kibble
- Portioned in pre-made bags specific to each pet’s daily needs
- Shipped fresh nationwide with insulated packaging and ice packs
- 4 recipe varieties: beef, turkey, chicken, or pork
- Can accommodate allergies and sensitivities
The product lines offer commercial raw food diets tailored for each dog with no preservatives, artificial flavors, or fillers. Everything is made to order for a truly customized eating plan.
Farmer’s Dog Pricing
Farmer’s Dog offers fresh, customized dog food delivered to your door. Here is a breakdown of their pricing and subscription plans:
The cost per meal ranges from about $3 for a small dog to $5-8 for a larger, more active dog. You choose the plan based on your dog’s weight, activity level, and calorie needs. Exact pricing depends on the recipes and portion sizes you select.
They offer several subscription plans:
- 4 week plan – 5% off per box
- 12 week plan – 10% off per box
- 24 week plan – 15% off per box
The longer the subscription, the more you save. There are also “pause” options if you need to skip weeks or adjust the schedule. Shipping is free nationwide.
For a 50 lb. adult dog eating two meals per day, expect to pay $7-8 per day or $175-200 per month for fresh food customized to your pet (source).
Nutritional Analysis
When it comes to ingredients, JustFoodForDogs uses whole foods like chicken, beef, fish, fruits, veggies, eggs and brown rice. Their recipes are formulated by veterinary nutritionists to meet industry standards. JustFoodForDogs proudly states that their recipes are veterinarian formulated and approved (source).
Farmer’s Dog also uses human-grade ingredients like beef, chicken, turkey, fish, sweet potatoes, carrots, spinach and eggs. Their recipes are developed by a team of veterinarians and pet nutritionists. However, Farmer’s Dog doesn’t promote veterinary approval of their recipes (source).
When it comes to processing, JustFoodForDogs gently cooks their food and follows proper food handling procedures. Farmer’s Dog also uses gentle cooking techniques to preserve nutrients. Both companies aim to deliver minimally processed, fresh food to dogs.
Overall, both JustFoodForDogs and Farmer’s Dog emphasize whole food ingredients and seem committed to providing dogs with nutritious and balanced meals. However, JustFoodForDogs highlights veterinary formulation and approval of their recipes as a key differentiator.
Customer Reviews
Both JustFoodForDogs and Farmer’s Dog have received positive reviews online, though Farmer’s Dog seems to have more mixed reviews compared to JustFoodForDogs. On Trustpilot, JustFoodForDogs has a “Great” rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars based on over 1,300 reviews, with 86% rating it as Excellent [1]. Farmer’s Dog has a “Good” rating of 4.2 out of 5 stars on over 5,000 reviews, though only 67% rate it as Excellent [2]. On Reddit and dog forums, most owners are happy with both companies but some complain about cost and quality control issues with Farmer’s Dog like moldy or spoiled food [3]. JustFoodForDogs seems to have fewer complaints.
When it comes to taste and meal variety, both brands rate well but owners seem happiest with the rotating proteins and unique recipes from Farmer’s Dog. Some dogs are picky about JustFoodForDogs’ food. However, JustFoodForDogs offers more customization options for owners to choose flavors and proteins while Farmer’s Dog pre-selects recipes [4].
Overall, online reviews indicate general satisfaction with both fresh dog food brands but slightly higher ratings and fewer complaints for JustFoodForDogs. However, Farmer’s Dog offers more unique recipes while JustFoodForDogs allows for more customization.
Conclusions
When comparing JustFoodForDogs and Farmer’s Dog, there are some notable differences between the two fresh dog food delivery brands. JustFoodForDogs offers both kibble and fresh food options, while Farmer’s Dog only sells fresh food. JustFoodForDogs products can be purchased online and in physical stores across the country, but Farmer’s Dog is currently online-only.
In terms of nutrition, both brands meet AAFCO standards and have veterinary nutritionists formulate their recipes. However, JustFoodForDogs discloses more specific details about the nutritional makeup of their foods. Additionally, Farmer’s Dog recipes contain some controversial ingredients like peas and legumes which some dog owners prefer to avoid.
Both brands are on the pricier end for dog food, with Farmer’s Dog coming in at over $90 per month for a 35 lb dog and JustFoodForDogs around $80-100 per month. However, JustFoodForDogs offers more flexibility with purchasing options both online and in stores.
Based on customer reviews, dogs seem to enjoy the food from both brands. However, JustFoodForDogs has been around longer and has more positive reviews overall. Some Farmer’s Dog customers have complained about inaccurate portion recommendations resulting in hungry dogs.
In summary, for those wanting maximum flexibility and veterinary oversight in recipes, JustFoodForDogs may be the better choice. But Farmer’s Dog offers nicely packaged fresh food delivered regularly, which is appealing for convenience. Dog owners should consider their budget, nutritional preferences, and lifestyle when choosing between these two fresh food options.