The #1 Fastest-Growing Pet Brand Doesn’t Look Like One

Issue #174

April 2nd, 2025

Quick Hits:

😆 This Cocker Spaniel grew the most distinct mutton chops

🛏️ Designer transforms his bed’s headboard to accommodate his dog

🗣️ The raw pet food community is hammering brands for updates on bird flu exposure

🫣 In 1935, Popular Mechanics mag showcased THE DOG SACK, which had your dog hanging on the outside of the car

🏆 Former Shark Tank participant Swift Paws won Best Pet Tech at Global Pet Expo

A box lands on your doorstep, packed in dry ice like a chef-curated meal kit. Inside, are minimalist white bags bearing only a bold black wordmark “Maev”  — no paw prints, no cartoon dogs, no gimmicks. It looks more like something you’d find in a modern wellness store than a pet aisle.

The Maev story began, fittingly, with one devoted dog mom on a quest…

Founder Katie Spies was an MIT engineer whose Italian Greyhound, George, suffered from mysterious seizures and health issues.

Desperate to help, she tried everything her vet suggested until one suggestion stuck: try feeding him raw dog food.

Spies started whipping up raw, unprocessed meals in her kitchen – and the effect was stunning.

She noted his digestion and energy improved within a month. When she couldn’t find any convenient, filler-free raw options in stores, Spies took matters into her own hands.

By 2019, she’d founded Maev (launching broadly in 2020), determined to bring nutritionally complete raw meals to dogs everywhere.

The company proudly touts itself as the “first and only” human-grade raw food for dogs – meaning the recipes use USDA human-quality ingredients and are formulated to meet strict standards for a balanced diet.

In just a few years, Maev has served over 4 million meals to pups across the U.S., proving there’s a hefty appetite for its novel approach.

But Maev’s real differentiator isn’t just what’s in the food – it’s how the brand presents it.

In a pet food market crowded with homogenous brown bits, primary colored packaging, & heavy graphics, Maev chose a design-led approach straight out of a high-end DTC playbook.

Think Apple Store simplicity meets canine nutrition.

The packaging is downright radical for dog food: a simple white pouch with elegant, oversized black lettering and zero doggie clip-art.

As one design review noted, Maev’s packaging “looks so chic that you might want to taste a bite” yourself (The Dieline).

Indeed, the aesthetic is “far from what’s predictably found in the dog food aisle.” No glossy photos of golden retrievers or cartoon bones – Maev’s brand identity instead channels a modern, human-oriented vibe.

The design isn’t just for show, either.

The team considered practical details like storage and sustainability, even using compostable materials for some elements (like their supplement bar wrappers).

It’s a form-follows-function philosophy: by packaging raw food in neat, resealable bags, Maev makes a usually messy diet as convenient as scooping kibble.

This design-first mindset, treating pet food with the sleekness of a DTC fashion label, massively differentiates Maev from the pack.

Crack open a bag of Maev, and the departure from “regular” dog food becomes even more apparent. Instead of an unappetizing brown mush, you’ll find colorful, textured bits that actually resemble real food.

One surprised reviewer described the frozen raw mix as “a medley of chicken, vegetables, and fruits in plain sight” – like a “wholesome frozen soup base” – rather than the mystery meat puree most of us expect.

Each recipe features whole foods you can recognize at a glance, things like: bright green beans and kale, chunks of potato, whole blueberries, beef & chicken – a rainbow of nutrition.

Spies has mentioned that “quality control is a lot easier when the beef looks like beef,” and Maev delivers on that mantra.

Every ingredient serves a purpose, and nothing is extruded or pelleted beyond recognition. The meals are flash-frozen to lock in nutrients and come ready to pour straight from the freezer – no thawing, measuring supplements, or guesswork needed.

It’s raw feeding made not just healthier, but also prettier and simpler. Maev has effectively turned dog food into a design object and a talking point: if you didn’t know better, you might mistake their vibrant beef-and-veggie blend for tonight’s stew base.

The brand’s cohesive vision extends from product to digital experience.

Visit Maev’s website and you’ll see the same minimalist, sophisticated ethos on display. Generous white space and clean lines let the content breathe, punctuated by punchy pops of color guiding you to “Go Raw” or shop their formulas.

A vivid ingredient diagram breaks down each recipe visually, driving home that transparency in what goes into each bowl.

Scrolling through, you’ll find stylish photos of dogs lounging in modern interiors, as well as infographics on canine nutrition – all against that signature white backdrop.

It’s a website that feels more like a glossy lifestyle magazine than a pet store, mirroring the packaging’s modern elegance. (In true design-forward fashion, the site can be a bit of a UX treasure hunt at times – all that avant-garde minimalism means you might spend a second looking for the FAQ or navigation menu. But the seamless style makes up for a little interface quirkiness.)

From logo to loading page, Maev commits to an aesthetic of “premium yet playful minimalism,” creating a consistent brand universe that dog parents love to get lost in.

Maev also deploys every modern e-commerce trick in the book – not as gimmicks, but to build a genuine connection with its audience.

The company’s Instagram-worthy unboxing experience, for instance, has been a hit. Orders arrive in sturdy insulated boxes with minimal fuss, and customers report that everything comes “impeccably chilled” on arrival.

Included in each package is a chic little guide on how to transition your pup to raw food, complete with a journal section to document your dog’s health journey.

Maev smartly taps into pet parents’ emotions by celebrating the improvements they see in their dogs. The brand’s philosophy – that “dogs deserve a seat at the table” and food worthy of that status – underpins its messaging.

Browse their blog or social media and you’ll find heartfelt stories of dogs with itchy skin or low energy who found new vitality on a raw diet.

Maev packages the idea of better dog parenting right alongside its products. Feeding your dog becomes an experience, a lifestyle upgrade, not a chore.

That lifestyle marketing is polished with aspirational photography (think pups on aesthetically-pleasing dog beds next to black & white Maev bowls) and a dose of education about canine wellness.

It’s the same playbook used by successful human wellness startups, and it works like a charm in the pet world, too.

All of this brand savvy would be empty posturing if the product didn’t deliver – but according to customers and third-party accolades, Maev has the goods.

Pet parents rave about tangible health improvements in their dogs.

A long-time raw feeder marveled that they’d “never seen anything like Maev… looks like human food and their dog loves it.” These aren’t isolated comments; the company’s website showcases thousands of glowing reviews echoing similar results.

The wider pet community and media have taken notice as well.

Maev has been featured in outlets from Oprah Daily to Wired, and even tennis star Jessica Pegula (currently ranked #5 in the world) has teamed up with the brand.

Pegula, an avid dog mom, was so impressed by the results that she now feeds her own pups Maev, noting she’s seen “incredible improvements in their digestion, skin and coat health, dental health and energy levels.”

Perhaps most impressively, Maev’s bold strategy of marrying raw nutrition with sleek branding has translated into explosive growth.

As of 2023, Maev is the #1 fastest-growing pet brand in America and the 38th fastest-growing private company overall.

They pulled in $11.7M in revenue in 2023.

In an industry dominated by legacy kibbles and big-name fresh food rivals, Maev has managed to sprint ahead by doing things differently. It’s not just a pet food, it’s a proper pet brand, and a red-hot one at that.

Of course, blazing a new trail invites scrutiny. Amid the social media fawning, there are thoughtful skeptics in the pet community asking tough questions.

On Reddit’s r/rawpetfood forum (where passionate raw feeders swap tips), some have questioned whether Maev’s recipes are truly as groundbreaking nutritionally as they are aesthetically. “Maev isn’t the worst in the world, but I wouldn’t feed it – especially not long term,” one commenter argued, objecting to ingredients like potato and peanut butter that aren’t typical in raw diets.

Others point out that if a dog’s diet is properly formulated and balanced, they “won’t need to eat ‘vitamin bars’” to fill nutritional gaps – a jab at Maev’s supplemental vitamin bar product.

And while Maev’s food is formulated by veterinary nutritionists to meet AAFCO standards, hardcore DIY raw feeders still debate whether any commercial mix can rival a meticulously customized regimen for each dog (i.e. there will always be haters, and if it works for you and your dog that’s all that matters!).

The company has also faced a few growing pains common to fast-scaling startups – scattered reports of shipping hiccups or customer service delays pop up in online discussions – but by and large, the negatives have been the minority.

Maev seems to be listening and adjusting, aware that to win over the raw feeding purists, it must not only look the part but also continually prove the nutritional efficacy of its food.

In the end, what Maev has accomplished is nothing less than a blueprint for the future of pet care brands. By blending science-backed development (PhD-formulated recipes, lab testing, vet nutritionist input) with emotional branding and Instagram-ready minimalist visuals, Maev has created a pet food company that resonates on multiple levels.

It satisfies the analytical pet parent’s need for quality and transparency – every batch meets rigorous nutritional profiles, while also capturing the imaginative pet parent’s heart with storytelling and style.

Maev is looking to beef up its’ distribution channels with a recent announcement of launching on Chewy.

It turns out that the recipe for a category-leading pet brand isn’t just high-protein beef and blueberries; it’s also a heaping scoop of creative marketing, a cup of community-building, and a fat pinch of daring to do things differently.

Maev’s rise hints that tomorrow’s pet industry leaders will need to be as fluent in branding and user experience as they are in animal nutrition, especially if you want to tap deeply into the Millennial & Gen Z market.

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WINNER 🏆️ : DOGGYDEX

 Proudly introducing the DoggyDex™, an index comprised of 10 publicly traded companies whose primary focus is the dog/pet industry.

List of tickers used can be found below.

The yellow line-plot in the chart represents these companies above (DoggyDex™) and their combined performance against both the S&P 500 and Bitcoin on a weekly basis.

Pawformance is measured by % gains & losses.

• $CHWY - Chewy: E-commerce platform for pet supplies

• $IDXX - Idexx Labs: Vet point of care instruments and vet software

• $FRPT - Fresh Pet: Pet food company

• $ELAN - Elanco: Manufactures pet disease prevention products

• $PETS - PetMeds: Online pet pharmacy

• $ZTS - Zoetis: World's largest producer of meds and vaccines for pets and livestock

• $TRUP - Trupanion: Pet insurance company

• $WOOF - Petco Health & Wellness co.: Pet health & wellness company

• $BARK - BarkBox: Subscription service providing dog products, services, and experiences

• $PET - Wag! Group Co.: Tech platform that allows pet owners to connect with industry professionals for services such as walking, training, etc.

Cat ownership in the U.S. is quietly climbing, with 37% of households, about 49M — now sharing their space with at least one feline friend.

A look at the map shows that states like Vermont (44.6%), Maine (43.6%), and West Virginia (37.6%) are total cat strongholds, while places like Texas (20.5%) and Louisiana (19.0%) lag behind.

The Midwest has some solid cat-loving pockets too: Indiana (37.5%) and Iowa (35.6%) are standouts.

These patterns often track with rural and suburban lifestyles, where cats fit more naturally into daily life. For pet brands, this means regionally tailored strategies could go a long way, especially in high-density cat states.

The total cat population hit 73.8 million in 2024, up from 59.8 million in 1996, not explosive growth, but steady.

What’s more exciting is the 14% jump in adoptions since 2019, with 6 million shelter cats finding homes in 2023 alone.

Millennials and Gen Z are fueling a lot of this momentum, especially Gen Z, who are leaning into multi-pet households. This shift opens up big opportunities for brands to cater to younger, more engaged pet parents, think enrichment toys, premium nutrition, and home-friendly cat furniture.

This map will be one to watch over the next 2-3 years.

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