A Fife-based pet food company has delivered 15 million meals across the UK this year.
Bella and Duke was launched by Mark Scott and Tony Ottley in 2016 after they lost pets to terminal illnesses.
The company, which was originally based in Blairgowrie but moved to Rosyth last year, specialises in raw pet food which are delivered to customers on a subscription basis.
Now it has more than 130 staff and claims to be the UK’s leading pet food subscription business.
Mark, who is chief executive, said: “I didn’t want to build a little family lifestyle business. I wanted to create something that was going to change the pet food industry.
“As a typical entrepreneur, we always think about the next thing but sometimes we need to stop and think about where we’ve come from.
“We have to celebrate our success.”
To cope with demand, the business relocated to Rosyth last year – in what it hopes is one of the UK’s most pet friendly offices.
It now employs more than 130 staff and is hoping to add more. But Mark said getting the right people can be a challenge.
He said: “Attracting the right people is always a challenge for a growing business.
“We’ve got a really good bunch of people right across the business. We’re really proud of what they’ve done.”
Pride at success of Bella and Duke
Bella and Duke was also named manufacturer of the year at the recent Pet Industry Federation Awards.
Mark said he’s been delighted with the success of the business in a challenging environment.
He said: “In the seven years since we started, I don’t think we’ve had a normal year with Covid, inflation and everything else.
“It would be nice to have a steady year to see what it looks like, but it’s been amazing to see the growth of the company.
“We’ve shown you can actually build a really good brand from rural Perthshire that has had an impact in the whole of the UK.”
Plans for ‘exciting’ 2024
Mark said at the heart of the business remained the pets they make the food for.
He added: “We want to do right by our pets and give them the healthy, happy, and long lives they deserve.
“We love hearing stories from our loyal community sharing the stories of their pets’ since feeding raw.”
Its most recent accounts show sales of almost £23 million for the year to March 2023.
Mark expects another significant increase this year – to about £35m – and hopes to be at the £50m mark in two years time.
He added: “2024 is already shaping up to be incredibly exciting for us. I can’t wait to see what it brings.”
Conversation