Butternut Box, a London-based fresh dog food business co-founded by Dubliner Kevin Glynn that has raised close to €100 million from investors, has launched in the Irish market.
Founded by Mr Glynn and David Nolan in 2016, the company has produced more than 34 million healthy meals for dogs to date.
In addition to launching its dog food subscription delivery service across Ireland, the company is also expanding into the Netherlands.
Mr Glynn, a former Goldman Sachs trader who has previously appeared in Forbes’s prestigious “30 under 30” list of leading young innovators, entrepreneurs and leaders, came up with the idea for Butternut Box when Mr Nolan’s sickly dog Rudie recovered after being fed healthy home-cooked meals.
The friends decided there was a gap in the market for a healthy dog food company and quit their jobs to start the business.
Butternut’s success is partly a result of the technology platform it has developed, which uses computer algorithms to work out the individual needs of each dog. Dishes are cooked from fresh ingredients and portioned according to a pet’s breed, weight, sex and exercise routine.
Raised
The company raised £40 million (€48 million) last year in a funding round led by the European arm of L Catterton, a €27 billion private equity firm backed by French billionaire Bernard Arnault and luxury goods empire Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy. That brought to more than £80 million the total amount secured by Butternut Box since it was founded.
“We are thrilled to see these launches come to fruition in both my home country and the Netherlands and look forward to developing long lasting relationships with our new dog and human customers,” said Mr Glynn.
In tandem with international expansion, Butternut Box has increased its product range by 33 per cent. A new vegetarian meal is due to be introduced shortly.
