As with many other human establishments, it seems that food trucks are beginning to pop up around the globe that are specifically geared toward canines. Now Wellness Natural’s, a major pet food manufacturer, has unveiled their pet food wagon which rolled into Virginia Beach this week.
The truck wasn’t just serving food to pet parents. Well trained staff members were also on hand to educate pet owners on how to care for their pets between vet visits. More than 250 people showed up to get information on brushing their dog’s teeth, trimming their nails, how to feed them properly, and how to make sure they are getting adequate exercise.
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Anton Nizich is managing the truck’s trip around the United States. Wellness Naturals started their tour back in May. The first stop was New York, and they also hit Austin, Seattle, and San Diego before stopping in Virginia Beach. Chanda Leary, a spokesperson for the company, says the truck’s next stops are Philadelphia, Washington D.C., and Baltimore. They’ll finish up in Boston in early September.
Leary says that this is the company’s first tour, but they are hoping it won’t be their last. Wellness Natural’s is hoping to make more of a difference by talking with pet parents one-on-one. Leary says that although trends in pet foods used to lag behind those of human food by about five years, now the gap has closed to about 6 months.
Wellness Natural’s provides pet foods with ingredients like chia seeds, coconut oil, and pomegranate; all ingredients which are trending with pet parents right now. Leary says that over the course of the tour she’s seen thousands of pet owners that all have one thing in common – they want their pets to eat healthy. In fact, she says she’s seen owners who eat terribly themselves, but want to make sure their animals eat top quality products.
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Wellness’s roots date back over 80 years with the inception of Old Mother Hubbard dog biscuits. In 1990 the company began to work with a team of veterinarians, animal nutrition experts, and scientists to develop a pet food that would revolutionize the industry. The result was Wellness pet food recipes for dogs, which were introduced in 1997. Wellness recipes for cats were added to the pet food line in 2000.
Their products contain only whole foods with no corn, wheat, soy, artificial colors, preservatives, or artificial flavors. Wellness is part of the Well Pet family of brands, the result of a merger between Old Mother Hubbard and Eagle Pack Pet Foods.
