GOING TO THE DOGS PAYS DIVIDENDS FOR OLD MOTHER HUBBARD
Author(s): Nancy V. Burns, GLOBE CORRESPONDENT Date: March 18, 2004 Page: 4 Section: Globe NorthWest
CHELMSFORD Careful watchers of "The Osbournes" on MTV may have noticed on the rock 'n' roll family's kitchen counter a 20-ounce bag of Gimme A Kiss dog snacks.
At the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show last month, the Best in Show winner was a 155-pound, glossy black Newfoundland named Josh, who fueled up for the competition by eating Wellness Super5Mix Chicken formula and Original Flavor dog biscuits. These products are three of the offerings from Old Mother Hubbard, a Massachusetts company that began baking dog biscuits three-quarters of a century ago and now offers a lineup of dog and cat foods that emphasize nutrition and natural ingredients. With the injection of capital from Catterton Partners last month, the company is looking to expand its business.
The alignment with Catterton, which is focused on providing capital to help consumer companies grow, "allows us to remain family owned and operated," said Jim Scott Jr., president and chief executive officer of Old Mother Hubbard. Scott, who would not disclose how much money Catterton invested, said he values Catterton as a "strategic thought partner."
"They are great people who understand how to build a consumer brand," Scott said of Catterton. "At the same time, we share a philosophical belief: that if you have the right people on the bus, you'll get things accomplished. This made the decision to align with them much easier."
The company's flagship products include the Old Mother Hubbard line of baked dog biscuits and treats and the Wellness brand of dog and cat foods, treats, and supplements. The products include such items as Couch Potato Lite Dog Biscuits, Chicken Cookies, and the P-Nuttier Jumbo Bone.
The company evolved from a focus on pet treats to enhanced nutrition because of the growing awareness of a changing marketplace as pet owners become increasingly interested in nutrition.
"We found there were many different `premium' pet foods out there, like Science Diet and Iams and Eukanuba, but nobody was doing a `healthy' pet food," said Scott. "The focus was on `premium engineered' food, but no attention to what's really in dog or cat food." Thus he strove to have his company make "the healthiest pet food in the world" and factored in the counsel of veterinarians and animal nutritionists, as well as current animal lifestyles.
"It's crazy, when you think about the environment" in which pets are living, said Scott. "More money is spent on veterinary services and surgery than ever before, yet there are now more animals with health issues than ever before. That's what struck us: An animal's life has changed. They don't get enough exercise, and they're home a lot. We needed to formulate a healthy pet food recipe indexed on the lifestyles of animals today, so that's what we did."
Robin Briscoe, a certified veterinary technician at Countryside Veterinary Hospital in Chelmsford, said that premium pet foods are worth the higher prices. While not discussing specific brands, she said, "With a premium diet, you're typically paying for higher-quality meat, protein, and carbohydrate sources, a clean manufacturing protocol, consistent ingredient formulation, and years of nutritional research."
She added that good nutrition can save money in the long run by reducing the amount of money spent on veterinary care.
"The pet food consumer is a lot different from that of years ago," said Laura Hines, owner of Pethingz pet supply store in Littleton. "They know what they're looking for and what they want, and they've done a lot of research." She added that the Wellness line is almost twice the price of supermarket brands, but is a better value because the consumer has to feed considerably less of it to their animals.
Old Mother Hubbard has racked up strong reviews from the pet press. Catnip magazine in July 2001 gave Wellness Dry Cat Food its top, five-paw, rating. The DogWatch newsletter in May 2003 included an article from Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine recommending the Wellness Fish and Sweet Potato dry formula as a protein/carbohydrate diet to combat canine food sensitivities.
The roots of Old Mother Hubbard date from the days of the A. Hubbard & Sons Bakery in Gloucester. The bakery used to make hard tack sea biscuits for sailors to eat at sea. Legend has it that when a sailor tossed one of the biscuits to his dog, which gobbled it up, an idea was born. Old Mother Hubbard began baking dog biscuits for distribution throughout the Northeast in 1926.
Jim Scott Sr., a professional in animal nutrition, bought the company in 1961. In 1975, the company moved to a Lowell facility, which continues to manufacture the company's products. In 1993, the headquarters was transferred to a Chelmsford office park.
Scott said the company is one of the few pet food manufacturers that bakes all its products, in the belief that baking foods slowly preserves essential nutrients, resulting in better taste and smell and making the food easier to digest. The products use hormone-free meats and whole foods, with no byproducts, colors, or fillers, Scott said. Recipes include boneless chicken, Vermont cheddar cheese, New Zealand lamb, apples and carrots, sweet potatoes, fresh eggs, whole garlic cloves, and whole-grain ingredients.
The privately held company, which would not disclose its sales and profit figures, mainly sells in the United States and Canada, with limited sales in other countries. The products are available from national pet specialty chains, such as PETCO and PETsMART. The Wellness brand can be found at independent pet specialty stores; about 1,700 qualified dealers are authorized to distribute the product.
Callers to the help line, 800-225-0904, are greeted during business hours by a human being rather than a recording. "We get a lot of response from people who love and care for their pets," said Jack Brookins, human resource manager. While his customer service reps are not veterinarians and do not dispense medical advice, they can provide general information about animal care and technical data about the company's products.
Brookins added that in his capacity in human resources, he often receives letters from pets, recommending their owners for jobs.
The company employs 235 people, including 35 at headquarters. "We have the people infrastructure in place to double the business in three years," said Scott, whose brother Jack and father are still involved in the company. "You can find the skill sets and the technical skills, but if you find people who love and believe in people and also love animals, that's the combination we look for. We have a great product, but the reason we're successful is that we truly love people who love pets."
A section on the company's website, "Our Motivation," displays page after page of photos of pets owned by employees, including the name and age of the animal and the department in which its owner works.
Scott's pet is a yellow lab named Boomer, who occasionally comes to the office. "He's a great dog," said Scott, "except that he steals food."
Nancy Burns can be reached at
[email protected]
