A New Age of Pet Food
The days of feeding your beloved dog the same dry kibble every day are in the past. Fresh dog food has transformed the modern pet industry. What once felt like a luxury niche is now a mainstream expectation, thanks largely to The Farmer’s Dog and other national subscription brands that educated millions of owners on the health benefits of human-grade meals. Pet parents today understand the difference real ingredients make; better digestion, improved energy, shinier coats, reduced allergies, and an overall higher quality of life.
With more than 40% of dog owners willing to increase spending on healthier, fresher options, fresh and refrigerated pet food is one of the fastest-growing sectors of the $150B+ pet category. Research from Grand View Research reports that the fresh dog food segment is expanding at a CAGR of roughly 20–25% through 2030, driven by rising demand for clean-label, minimally processed ingredients.
As the category has surged, so have frustrations with the limitations of subscription-based models. Brands like The Farmer’s Dog rely on a national production and frozen-shipping system that is inherently expensive. Those shipping and packaging costs show up in the price tag, making the product inaccessible for many families. Subscriptions can also feel restrictive; meals arrive in large quantities, on rigid schedules, and must be stored frozen, which doesn’t reflect how most people want to shop. As demand for fresh food increases, consumers are beginning to look for a better alternative: something fresher, affordable, flexible, and more connected to their community and their needs.
The Local Brand Redefining Fresh
The up and coming brand that fills those gaps is Natural Hounds. What started as small-batch cooking for local farmers markets evolved into a booming business dedicated to elevating the standard of dog nutrition. Today, Natural Hounds operates thriving storefronts where every meal and treat is handmade daily from real ingredients like lean proteins, fresh vegetables, and natural supplements. Customers walk through the door and immediately smell fresh food simmering, see staff preparing recipes in an open kitchen, and experience the transparency and warmth of a neighborhood business built for dogs and the people who love them.
From a consumer perspective, the Natural Hounds experience feels entirely different from the traditional model.
- Freshness is undeniable because meals are prepared hours, not weeks before they’re served- and are never sitting in transit for days.
- Pet parents can buy as little as one pound to try, stock up as needed, or set up recurring local deliveries on their own schedule.
- Subscriptions are offered but never required.
- Stores offer walk-in retail, fresh treats and chews, and custom recipe orders, creating a complete ecosystem for dogs with all types of nutritional needs.
- The staff is welcoming, knowledgeable, and community-focused, making the experience feel more like visiting a neighborhood bakery than shopping through an impersonal mass market interface.
Most importantly, the brand’s local production system solves the biggest consumer complaint in the fresh food category: cost. By producing, packaging, and distributing locally, Natural Hounds eliminates the massive burden of frozen shipping that companies like Farmer’s Dog build into their pricing. The result is fresher food at a more accessible price point, allowing customers to enjoy the quality they want without overspending.
A Franchise Opportunity Built for the Future
As the brand continues to grow, its trajectory signals a major shift in what the future of pet food will look like. The $150B+ pet industry is evolving toward transparency, authenticity, and locally made products, mirroring the clean-label movement seen in human wellness. Natural Hounds is positioned at the center of this shift, offering a category-defining experience that blends accessible pricing, community connection, and truly fresh products. With strong unit economics, minimal labor requirements, and consistently high customer satisfaction, the company is quickly emerging as the brand poised to lead the fresh-pet-food revolution nationwide.
That momentum has created one of the most compelling franchise opportunities in the pet industry. Unlike large pet retailers or boarding franchises that require expansive footprints and high staffing costs, Natural Hounds operates with a lean, efficient model that blends production, retail, and delivery under one roof.
Franchisees benefit from a hybrid “flagship + satellite” structure that allows them to dominate entire markets with lower investment and higher scalability. The model includes multiple revenue streams; walk-in sales, delivery, subscriptions, treats, add-ons- not to mention significantly lower customer acquisition costs because national D2C brands have already educated the market.
No other franchise offers such a simple, community-rooted system for bringing fresh dog food directly to neighborhoods across America.
For entrepreneurs passionate about dogs, wellness, and building a business with real purpose, Natural Hounds represents a chance to get in early with the first franchise truly redefining fresh pet food. As the brand expands into major U.S. markets, franchise owners will play a central role in shaping the future of the category- creating local kitchens where pet parents can trust the food, meet the makers, and experience freshness the way it’s meant to be.
The fresh-food movement changed the industry, and Natural Hounds is changing what comes next. And now, franchise partners have the opportunity to help build a national network of community-based kitchens, one neighborhood at a time.
Click to learn more about Natural Hounds franchising opportunities.
