Tuggs, a UK-based fresh, insect-based dog food producer, has secured a £1.1 million (US$1.46 million) investment round from a variety of investors.
According to the company, Tuggs debuted in 2022 as the UK's first fresh dog food made from black soldier fly larvae. The company said revenues have tripled in the past nine months. Since launching, the startup, which only sells directly to customers through a subscription model, has sold over 350,000 meals. In the last year, it has also doubled its staff to six people to improve customer service and grow its product engineering and business development teams.
“We have now proven that there is a very strong product-market fit for our offering, and we’re beginning the next stage of scaling," said Harry Bremner, who founded the brand in 2021. “We recently achieved one of the biggest milestones in our journey, which was moving our entire production and supply chain to the UK. This has given us much greater control over our product development, as well as providing significantly more scope for growth. We’re excited as we look ahead to 2025 where we’ll have the infrastructure in place to begin scaling much quicker whilst adding to our product offering.”
The company's recipes pair traditional proteins with insect-based proteins and vegetables, offering a healthy, human-grade meal with an eco-conscious for dogs.
“Our ethos is about reducing reliance on livestock without compromising on the nutritional composition of the food,” said Bremner. “The main reason that consumers are choosing Tuggs is due to the quality of our products. However, we believe the onus is on us as a brand to build the product as sustainably as we can, which is why we’re pioneering the use of alternative proteins such as insects.”
Tuggs is now working on a range of recipe developments for treats which will combine meats with insects, another industry first according to the company.
