There are unconventional job interviews, and then there’s the one I had with Freshpet. I wasn’t from the pet food world, and as I walked into the room, there were samples of their products dotted around the table. I could see a little meatball and some rolls sliced up.
What you might expect, maybe, but I could see my interviewers chewing as they welcomed me. “Okay,” I thought, “this might be strange.” And then the co-founder walked in and gave me a dog bowl filled with a chicken recipe.
“Try it,” he said. At this point, I realised everyone else in the room was also eating the company’s dog food. I’ll admit it, I thought they were all a bit crazy.
But I took a deep breath, had a tentative bite and to my complete surprise, it tasted good. Like fresh, high-quality chicken, and not the slimy or jellied texture you might get from canned dog food. And you know how you recoil in horror from the smell of a can of dog food? This was more like freshly cooked Sunday lunch.
I could detect hints of carrots and other wholesome ingredients too. From that point, I was hooked. That has meant continuing to taste and test the food ever since, even though my formal role is marketing executive.
Every month, we come together at Freshpet to evaluate each new recipe, assessing its appearance, aroma and taste. Once you get over the fact it’s not traditional dog food but balanced, fresh food for dogs, then it’s not something strange. All my colleagues actively participate in th.