Company overview: Delivering delicious and healthy meals to dogs on a subscription model, Butternut Box provides convenience for dog owners and a nutritious solution for their dogs. The meals are personalised and perfectly portioned for each dog’s needs, based on their age, weight and breed. The company is obsessively focused on providing an excellent customer experience and peace of mind to pet owners.
Our initial investment: Literacy Capital co-led their growth capital round in January 2018, allowing the business to drive marketing efforts across a variety of channels in the business and to expand the team. The business was founded by two former Goldman Sachs traders with an overriding passion for dogs. We were able to provide the initial capital injection and subsequent operational support, as they set out to improve the European Pet Care market and the lives of dogs.
Building value: Maintaining Butternut’s high standards, community feel and brand loyalty has been a key focus as the business scales, and is one of the factors underpinning their impressive customer retention rates. Exactly five years after the business’ inception, the first meal rolled off their new state-of-the-art production facility, Rudie’s Kitchen, based in Doncaster. The largest pet food production site in Europe, and creating a significant number of new jobs in the local area. The new facility allows them to cater for their rapidly growing fanbase. Looking ahead, Butternut will be expanding into more channels and dog categories such as treats, supplements, toys, and accessories.
Website link: www.butternutbox.com
Completion: January 2018