Irvine-based Just Food For Dogs has raised $68 million in a Series C funding round led by L Catterton, a Connecticut-based private equity firm.
JFFD founder Shawn Buckley said the money will support JFFD’s ongoing expansion as well as provide “a huge research budget to increase our knowledge on the benefits of whole foods and remain at the forefront of pet nutrition.”
The company also will earmark some of the millions to ramp up its marketing efforts, he said.
JFFD has been in build-out mode since partnering with Petco a year ago to create in-store pantries stocked with fresh, whole food meals for dogs and cats.
The company was created when Buckley, a serial entrepreneur, was on the hunt for better food for his ailing, older dogs. He opened a small concept kitchen that made small batches of food for dogs in 2010 in Newport Beach. The company has since grown into a chain with a dozen JFFD kitchens in Orange, San Diego and Los Angeles counties.
We checked in with Buckley to see how business is moving along.
How’s the rollout going with Petco?
The rollout is going very well, better than both companies expected. We agreed to open 50 store-in-store pantries, which are our own JustFoodForDogs spaces, staffed by our own veterinarian-trained nutritional consultants, inside select Petco locations by the end of 2019. We have already exceeded that number considerably. As of today, we have 74 open and operating.
How much does the funding round shift the executive dynamic at JFFD?
There will certainly be additional hires at the executive level and beyond.
What’s been the biggest surprise in the national rollout?
The consistency. Unlike many other companies and concepts, the notion of geography has less of an impact for us. Dogs are the same everywhere, and there are remarkable consistencies in the way people have come to see and treat their dogs as four-legged family members.
Any adjustments being made now that folks are shopping at the Petco pantries?
The additional locations we have added this year, both inside Petco and veterinary clinics, have actually caused an increase in sales in our existing locations. From the Petco side, they are reporting that overall retail “basket size” has increased in their stores where a JustFoodForDogs location is present.
What are the canine customer favorites?
Beef & Russet Potato and Chicken & Rice continue to be the leaders, with Fish & Sweet Potato coming in at a close third.
How about the cats?
We love cats. We really do, but they are difficult. We originally thought we had three great cat recipes, but it turned out we only had one the cats loved. While all three were very healthy, the cats just didn’t like two of them. The one we do have available now is a great success and we are adding two more recipes in the coming months.
What can shoppers expect this holiday shopping season?
A favorite seasonal special, Shepard’s Pie, will return this December. We also have a great Holiday Swag Bag filled with goodies that is just $25 (and includes a $25 gift card) which is the perfect way to give the give of health to animal lovers.
Everyone’s about delivery these days. Is this an option for JFFD’s fresh food?
Yes, we’ve been in business for almost 10 years now and have offered delivery directly from our locations the entire time, but the food is also available online and can be shipped anywhere via FedEx.
Number of kitchens open in retail Petco stores?
We have a total of eight retail kitchens, plus our Irvine headquarter kitchen, with two more under construction. Only one kitchen is located inside of a Petco, inside their flagship location in New York City’s Union Square. We also have an additional 173 pantry locations – all of these are staffed by JustFoodForDogs and are located within veterinary hospitals, our own stand-alone locations, or inside Pet Food Express and Petco stores.
JWA traffic ticks up
Airline passenger traffic at John Wayne Airport increased a slight 0.3%, with 859,174 passengers in September vs. 856,688 in the same month in 2018.
More September highlights:
Commercial aircraft operations decreased 3.2% and commuter aircraft operations increased 88.6%.
Total aircraft operations decreased. The airport reported 26,218 total aircraft operations (take-offs and landings), a 6.3% decrease compared with 27,987 in September 2018.
General aviation activity, which accounted for 69.8% of the total aircraft operations in September, decreased 8.6%.
The top three airlines in September 2019 based on passenger count were Southwest Airlines (275,410), American Airlines (142,219) and United Airlines (138,707).
On the move
Golden State Foods in Irvine has promoted Brian Dick to executive vice president and chief operating officer and Campbell Cooper to president of its international business group. Dick now oversees all global operations for the company, including food manufacturing and logistics groups. Cooper oversees operations in Asia, Australia, New Zealand and the Middle East, as he transitions from his former role as group vice president, GSF Fresh! Golden State Foods is one of the nation’s largest suppliers to the quick-service restaurant and retail industries.
Former Intuit executive Annie Terry is the new chief business officer at LOCATE Inventory, a Laguna Hills-based tech company for cloud-based inventory and order management software. Terry will be responsible for business development and strategic partnerships. She spent 13 years at Intuit, the makers of QuickBooks and TurboTax, joining the company in 2007 as program manager of developer relations. She was promoted to senior program manager in 2012.
Kelley McGregor has joined Human Options, an Irvine-based nonprofit dedicated to ending the cycle of relationship violence, as its chief development officer. McGregor previously was director of development at Seneca Family of Agencies. As CDO, she will lead the development team in leveraging relationships to support the organization’s vision for growth.
Vanessa Casco has been promoted to vice president of marketing at Irvine-based Ten-X Commercial. She will lead the marketing team and the digital transformation of the company’s omnichannel marketing program. Casco, who joined the company in 2014, served as Ten-X’s senior director of digital and growth marketing.
On board
The Santa Ana College Foundation has appointed Dan Stefano and Yareiry Alba to its board. The foundation raises money to support the college and its students through the leadership of a 23-member volunteer board. Stefano is a graduate of Santa Ana College’s Fire Academy, as well as current fire chief for the City of Costa Mesa and president of the California Fire Chiefs Association. Alba is also a Santa Ana College alumna and graduate of the University of Texas at El Paso. She works as a patient navigator for Cochlear Implants at Providence Speech and Hearing Center.
Attorney Steve Allison has returned to Orange County United Way board of directors. He previously served on the board from 2005-17. Allison is a trial and class action defense lawyer and partner at Troutman Sanders LLP in Irvine.
Funding round
Diality Inc., a privately held medical device company in Irvine, has closed a $10 million Series A investment round. The company is developing a portable, home hemodialysis machine. This funding round will be used for design transfer, submitting for regulatory approval and initiating clinical studies, the company said.
Milestones
Costa Mesa-based Westways magazine, published by the Automobile Club of Southern California for its members, recently won a national magazine award and several honorable mentions at the annual Eddie and Ozzie Awards presented by Folio: magazine in New York. Westways won the Ozzie Award for Best Magazine Cover Design in the consumer non-profit/association category. The publication, which has a circulation of 4.65 million in Southern California, also won honorable mention recognitions for its Bon Appetit section, a cover illustration celebrating the new Star Wars attractions at Disneyland, the entire May/June 2019 magazine issue, overall design of its Food Issue, and two articles.
Grants
Irvine-based Human Options and the J. F. Shea Therapeutic Riding Center in San Juan Capistrano have been named the 2019 Bank of America Neighborhood Builders awardees for Orange County. The Bank of America Neighborhood Builders each receive a $200,000 grant, a year of leadership training for the executive director and an emerging leader at the organization, a network of peer organizations across the U.S., and the opportunity to access capital to expand their impact. The grant will allow Human Options to speed up the transition from domestic violence shelters to permanent housing by increasing access to safe and stable housing.
Fundraising
More than $600,000 was raised at a recent fundraiser to help Tilly’s Life Center in Irvine equip and empower teens with social and emotional skills. For more information on TLC’s programs and offerings, follow @tillyslifecenter on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and @TillysLC on Twitter.
Status Update is compiled from press releases by contributing writer Karen Levin and edited by Business Editor Samantha Gowen. Submit items and high-resolution photos to sgowen@scng.com. Allow at least one week for publication. Items are edited for length and clarity.
