Carna4

The drive to make a difference in the pet food market
“When we started Carna4, we could have done any kind of business,” says Ringo, who also serves as Carna4’s director of health care. “But we wanted to make a difference in the health of pets and people using only natural foods, so Carna4 was founded with a focus on partnering with retailers who are committed to improving the health of their customers’ pets, not just selling stuff. Similarly, we partner with regional distributors who focus especially on unique, cutting-edge health products. This strategy has allowed us to educate consumers about the benefits of our unique ingredients and processing methods, building awareness and growth in the sector as a whole.”

According to Stauble and Ringo, Carna4 was the first to use innovative ingredients, such as sprouted seeds, which are familiar in the human health food sector but ahead of their time in pet food. “This allows us to create 100 percent whole food synthetic-free, preservative-free products, which far exceed AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) standards,” says Ringo. “Since synthetic vitamins found in the ‘premix’ of most other pet foods are not truly bio-available, many pets are not getting the vitamins they need and are essentially malnourished, leading to chronic illness that gets blamed on food sensitivities and allergies. Pets (and people) need nutrition from real food that the body recognizes in order to boost the immune system and self-heal.”