They started out creating raw food recipes in the managing director's barn; now, the team behind Cotswold RAW runs a nationwide operation, shipping its nutritious pet food to dogs and cats across the UK — recently expanding into a £1 million facility, with capacity to double its production.
SoGlos speaks to co-founder and managing director, Mark Lewis, about Cotswold RAW's impressive growth and plans for the future...
Tell us about the journey Cotswold RAW has been on so far...
Cotswold RAW was founded in 2014, making 100kg batches of raw food for our own dogs from my barn and home.
We'd previously made the decision to start feeding our dogs raw and soon noticed an improvement in their behaviour, digestion and overall health. Once we realised how beneficial this style of feeding is, we began to develop our own recipes using fresh local meat, seasonal fruit and vegetables, as well as our own herbal supplements.
We took on our first site, with Defra approval, in September 2015. In that same month, we visited the Moreton Show and gained our very first customers.
Over the next five years, we worked hard to build up a loyal consumer base of independent retail shops and home delivery customers.
Now, in 2024, we're moving our operations to a new 30,000 sq ft premises in Bourton-on-the-Water, just 15 miles from the original site in the North Cotswolds — keeping our business rooted in the Cotswolds heartlands.
How will your move to new premises improve your operations and facilitate growth?
We're currently making over two million raw food meals each year; the new facility will see that production capacity double.
This capacity has previously been limited at the current sites and it's taken a two-year search to find the right location which aligns with our business needs.
It was really important for us to retain our loyal, 30-strong team, many of whom have been with us since the very start, so we were determined to stay true to our Cotswold roots and keep our manufacturing in the countryside.
The new facility will be transformative for Cotswold RAW — from increasing production to improving team efficiency by being together in one central location. The new site and systems will be a total gamechanger for the business.
What are the biggest challenges you've faced while growing the company and how did you overcome them?
The Covid-19 pandemic was, of course, a global challenge for us all. As a small business in March 2020, we were unsure how this worldwide pandemic was going to affect us. Can we still manufacture and distribute our products? Will customers still be interested in buying raw food?
In actual fact, it was a very busy time for the pet category as more UK households got a dog, and many altered their feeding to make positive changes in their pets' diet. Our staff were amazing throughout too, juggling a difficult work-life balance against a very unsure landscape.
What innovations or new products can we expect to see from Cotswold RAW in the near future?
Intially, we want to make sure we have all our ranges in stock, all of the time, including our single protein range and award-winning sausages. Too often we've had stock challenges as our demand has been increasing.
Going forward, we want to be offering more customers our products, delivered directly to their doors, and get Cotswold RAW stocked in more stores across the UK.
What are your top priorities for Cotswold RAW's growth over the next five years?
Our top priority is maintaining the quality of our products and food provenance.
All our fresh ingredients are British and sourced locally wherever possible, and we use chicken that is free range and organic. Our manufacturing process is completely transparent, with our raw mince and sausages made in-house — and if you turn over the packet to read our ingredients, you'll see that it's very easy to understand what you're feeding your pets.
Our clients expect the very best quality from our raw food and natural treats, so our number one priority is to maintain this, for a healthier British pet population.
How do you stay ahead in the competitive raw food market?
Digital adoption within our production, despatch, logistics and sales teams has been key to this. We're looking forward to bringing new technology into the great working practices we have already.
Growing staff numbers is important, too, upskilling and developing strong teams to manufacture our British-farmed product.
