Episode #189
Farm to Pet CEO on Building a $5M Treat Brand
Jackson Jones spent his career in manufacturing and supply chain — Berkshire Hathaway's Marmon Group, then acquiring Duracell from Procter & Gamble. Then COVID gave him time at home, and he started making dehydrated chicken treats for his dog Rooney in the basement. Five years later, Farm to Pet does over $5 million a year in single-ingredient treats for dogs and cats, ships from its fourth and largest facility, and just hit profitability for the first time. In this conversation, Chris Lustrino and Jackson get into the operational reality behind that number. Demand was never the problem — since last October the company has been production-constrained, running seven days of production and six night shifts across two buildings before moving into a space four times the size. The sales experience Jackson worried about turned out to be the easy part. They also cover the channel decisions that shaped the brand: why Farm to Pet went direct-to-consumer first and deliberately avoided distributors, how a thousand independent retailers found the company rather than the other way around, and why Jackson isn't in a hurry to get on a big-box shelf. Plus his honest, unusual answer on exit strategy — he doesn't have one, and explains why. In this episode: • What "single ingredient" actually means, and why Jackson kept the product line narrow • Growing up around farm dogs in West Central Illinois — and Rooney, the 14-year-old who started it • From a KitchenAid and a dehydrator to a fourth facility in five years • Being production-constrained since October, and what four-times-the-space changes • Why the direct-to-consumer site is the hero channel, not retail • A thousand independent retail customers acquired almost entirely inbound • Where the crowdfunding capital goes: equipment automation and holiday inventory • How long it really takes to launch a Reg CF raise • The capacity ceiling on the new building — and what revenue it can support • Hitting profitability for the first time this year • Exit strategy: "I don't wanna put myself out of a job" • Mapping the treat market by price point and by channel • Halloween boxes, 6,500 ambassadors, and treating the brand as a community Guest: Jackson Jones, Founder & CEO, Farm to Pet Host: Chris Lustrino, Founder & CEO, Kingscrowd Farm to Pet is currently raising on StartEngine. Research Farm to Pet and other startup investment opportunities at kingscrowd.com. Inside Startup Investing is the only podcast where you can invest in every guest. If you like what you hear, subscribe so you never miss a founder interview. Disclosure: This episode is for informational purposes only and is not investment advice. Investing in early-stage companies is risky, illiquid, and you may lose your entire investment.
