Perfecting Taste and Nutrition: The Crave® Story
 Taking
the big step towards launching a new product entails crucial efforts, as the
name of the game is not the creation of a product just to go along with present
market trends. More important, the product should be able to meet, sustain and
even exceed customer expectations because of its consistent high-quality as
reflected in the most visible results possible.
Crave® Dog Food takes dog nutrition a
step higher with its balanced nutrition made even more appetizing with the
presence of highly palatable kibbles that are easy to digest and bacteria-free.
Driven by the desire to come up with an excellent product that guarantees
maximum results and performance, FSI Nutrition, Inc. believes that an excellent
product is not born overnight. Because of this belief, FSI Nutrition has
embarked on years of market research and product development using the most
appropriate testing methods and production processes to achieve a formulation
that pet owners would believe in and feel confident in using it. Four years of
research and product development spent, and until now, a continuous aim to
perfecting dog nutrition, drives FSI Nutrition to go beyond barriers as it
moves to launch a product that it can be truly proud of.
 The
first year of development was the most crucial. At this stage, FSI Nutrition
conducted a series of studies to determine market trend and customer
preferences by determining the concerns and expectations of dog owners. Through
these, the company strived to understand every detail about dog’s nutritional
requirements in order to develop a completely balanced food that dogs would
love to eat.
Taking into considerations such relevant areas as immune system,
growth pattern, skin and coat condition, metabolism, lifestyle, and climatic
conditions, FSI Nutrition began to develop the most balanced nutrition product
that give maximum benefits to dogs. Processed and cooked, the product was found
to be safe even if consumed by human because of its digestibility. In product
development, the taste and texture preferences were also carefully studied to
ensure that the formula achieves the desired palatability.
The studies and tests were conducted at the FSI Nutrition’s
in-house kennel, built and set-up to become the most modern kennel structure
with capacity of 100 heads. The kennel has a fully-equipped laboratory and
clinic, and houses the most popular breeds. The facility ensures that the
testing and research conducted would be highly reliable to build consumer
confidence on the product.
Armed with reliable and carefully gathered data on dog’s
nutritional and palatability requirements, the second and third year saw the
development of a superb premium formula using the most natural and fresh
ingredients best suited for dogs. The formula also took into consideration the
texture and moisture requirements for stronger teeth and gums while enhancing
its palatability by using unique kibbles that lock-in the essential nutrients
and appropriate palatants.
The company also began to set up the manufacturing facilities
needed to produce the formula. Being a subsidiary of Feedmix, FSI utilizes the
High Heat Treatment (HHT) process which sets it apart from its competitors and
created a whole new standard in animal nutrition quality unequaled even until
now. HHT is part of the company’s comprehensive manufacturing process that uses
extrusion with the objective of applying human food technology to animal foods.
Included in this unique facility is an on-line quality control inspection of
moisture and temperature during production. FSI Nutrition has modified its
twin-screw extrusion system to adapt with the changing technology and bring
about even higher capacity and greater efficiency to yield dog food that will
be known for its faster digestibility and better taste. Included in this unique
facility is an on-line quality control inspection of moisture and temperature
during production. Several important refinements were done at this stage to
optimize the processing system.
With a carefully developed formula by internationally-known
nutritionists, trials were done under varying climate and environmental
conditions. The company is the first in the country to establish a unique and
highly reliable trial protocol to determine pet food performance and
palatability needs. The tests were done at the in-house kennel facility during
specific and applicable phases of the pet’s life, while outside tests were also
conducted among dog owners to come up with a more realistic assessment of the
formula’s impact on the different breeds given various living conditions.
With a fully tested product that meets even the highest standards
in dog nutrition, Crave Dog Food was born. The fourth year saw the final stages
prior to launch with the development of the product packaging and distribution
network. For the packaging, careful considerations were taken to use vacuum
packs to maintain the product’s freshness. Temperature and moisture were
carefully monitored while packaging stability tests were conducted. Also
established were the product stacking and warehousing procedures to guarantee
that the product meets the customer’s requirements for convenience and
freshness. A distribution network was conceptualized and is now being
implemented to make Crave available to pet owners in the Philippines and
neighboring Asian countries.
Believing that excellence is not created overnight, Crave brings
into every pet owner the confidence of giving superior nutrition to his pet
that can only be achieved through years of painstaking efforts towards
perfection.
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