Waggles Pet Food, based in Karachi Pakistan, was listed one of the country’s 100 impactful startups. The company established itself as first premium natural pet food brand in 2020, when Waggles launched its two pet food recipes for dogs.
Currently, Waggles sells 12 products across 1,200 quick-commerce platforms and stores as well as on Daraz, Pakistan’s leading e-commerce platform.
“We are a startup with a vision to position Pakistan as a global manufacturing hub for pet food production. We aren’t just building a brand, but an entire category in Pakistan since there aren’t any other major local pet food manufacturers,” Rafae Dossal, CEO of Waggles, told GlobalPETS.
Waggles employs 32 workers and produces 1,200 tons of wet pet food per year working on the production of dry pet food. The event assessed the companies according to their innovation and value for Pakistan’s economy out of 1,000 applicants.
Pet food production is not very popular in Pakistan but “can potentially earn the economy revenue by competing globally. While it’s challenging, it sets benchmarks for manufacturers to follow international standards of production locally,” Dossal said. He forecasts a growth of 20% regarding Pakistan’s pet market per year.
“The prospects for pet food manufacturing are bright in Pakistan. I see Waggles thriving in the local market with the promise of high-quality animal nutrition. Recessions and booms are a part of the economic cycles,” he said.
Although, at the moment, the market is suffering issues like depreciation of the rupee, crop and livestock shortage. Furthermore, the government has passed an embargo on the import of luxury goods meaning pet food amongst other things.
According to Dossal, 400g Pedigree dog food cost Rs220 (€-$ 0.94) in 2020. This price has increased to Rs600 (€-$ 2.55) today. He sells his own products for Rs300 (€-$ 1.28).
“There’s a stark difference in pricing, making local alternatives preferable for the consumers,” he says.
The company achieved a turnover of Rs60 million (€-$ 738,400) in 2021, an increase of 200%.
“This jump in revenue is a testament to the growing consumer base that understands and appreciates a high-quality product being made locally. We’re very proud to market ourselves as a ’Made in Pakistan‘ brand,” said Dossal.
“We aim on locking a healthy double-digit growth number as compared to last year and are extremely optimistic on achieving these goals.”
Waggles aims to expand to UAE, Oman, Qatae, Tanzania and Mozambique by the middle of 2023. “We are working aggressively to tap into these markets,” concludes Rafae. Some private investors from Pakistan and the Middle Eastern region have recently expressed their interest in Waggles.
original article – globalpetindustry.com
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