Food left behind by pet dogs given to shelters in new animal welfare SDGs initiative

On May 11th, 2021, Biophilia, Inc., which produces and sells the handmade dog food brand "CoCo Gourmet," launched the "WAN I NYARU food project" as part of its animal welfare activities.

WAN I NYARU food project

For both people and animals, diet is one of the most important factors for health and happiness. Biophilia, Inc. launched this project to bring more food to pets who need them and connect fur babies and their humans in a cycle of happiness. WAN I NYARU is a whimsical name combining wan (woof) , nyan (meow) and 輪になる wa ni naru (create a cycle).

CoCo Gourmet is a dog food subscription service, but some of their regular customers have trouble using up the food for various reasons. Sometimes dogs lack the appetite, sometimes they don't eat it due to illness or allergies, or sometimes there's a temporary surplus when they sadly pass away. An average of about 9% of customers (about 300 meals) are in this situation every month. Until now, surplus food was either wasted or privately donated to shelters by humans.

The WAN I NYARU food project creates an efficient system to collect surplus, which can be frozen and stored for one year. This allows the company to deliver tasty and nutritious food to shelter dogs while maintaining its freshness.

In addition, reducing food loss corresponds to Goal 12 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) established by the United Nations, namely "Responsible Consumption and Production." Biophilia, Inc. is committed to not only saving animals' lives but also the environment.

The number of orders for Coco Gourmet has increased by 400% compared to last year, and sales and profits have been strong, making it possible for the company to donate to pet shelters. They already donated 2,000 meals of Coco Gourmet stock in February 2021.

Why homemade food is suitable for shelter dogs

Animals newly rescued and sent to shelters are usually not in ideal health. In addition, they may become stressed due to the sudden change in their living environment. Coco Gourmet is recognized by veterinarians as an appetizing food for dogs love. Shelters have reported that dogs who had lost their appetites with normal dog food quickly regained it after being given Coco Gourmet.

CEO Kōta Iwahashi's thoughts on animal welfare

I sincerely hope that the shelter dogs will feel joy and peace of mind with the Coco Gourmet that we proudly offer. In addition, although it is a small effort, it is one that I am personally very passionate about, as it allows us to fulfill our main goal since the establishment of the company, which is to "make unfortunate animals happy through our business." We will continue to make many animals happy through the development of Coco Gourmet and aim to become the company that donates the most dogfood in the world.

Biophilia, Inc. CEO Kōta Iwahashi 岩橋洸太

By - grape Japan editorial staff.