Pet Food Tech Startup 'Pet Fresh' Successfully Secures Seed Investment

[Financial News]   Pet food tech company Pet Fresh has secured seed investment. This investment was participated by Ensel Partners, an accelerator (AC) and TIPS operator, and Seoul City University Technology Holding Company.
Founded in 2023, Pet Fresh is a pet food tech startup making a mark in the premium pet food market with its healthy meal brand 'Dundunhanki' made from 100% raw materials and high-end snack products. It was founded by Pet Fresh CEO Oh Chan-mi, a former journalist. CEO Oh completed her doctorate in intellectual property (IP) at Seoul National University Law School and served as a news PD at KBS Media Tech and covered the investment banking (IB) field at The Bell. She became interested in healthy pet food after adopting a dog and saw the growth potential of the pet food industry, leading her to start the business. Currently, recipes are manufactured with direct input from professional nutritionists, and doctoral-level researchers are conducting research and development (R&D) on functional pet food.
Pet Fresh's low-allergy healthy pet food, made only with high-quality raw materials, gained great popularity as it spread by word of mouth centered around department stores. Pop-up stores were held at Hyundai Department Store The Hyundai Seoul, Yeongdeungpo Times Square, and Lotte Department Store Dongtan Branch, with some items selling out completely, receiving great response from consumers.

Pet Fresh has opened the first official store in a department store as a pet food specialist. It is currently expanding into Galleria Center City, Galleria Jinju Branch, and Galleria Gwanggyo Branch.
The brand 'Dundunhanki' offers five types of healthy wet food and premium snacks made from high-quality raw materials such as freshly prepared eel bones and Wando sea bass, leading to rapid growth. This year's annual sales are expected to grow by 1000% compared to the previous year. Pet Fresh's rapid growth is analyzed as a result of introducing various products that align with trends such as low-allergy, high-fiber healthy meals, gluten-free, additive-free, color-free, and preservative-free.
Pet Fresh strictly manages everything from material selection to production in its 100% self-operated production facility. It has formed a specialized nutrition team including pet nutritionists and is conducting R&D through specialized research personnel to provide functional customized diets. The entire process from product production to delivery is managed in a one-stop manner at its own production facility. To select only the best ingredients, a factory is located near Noryangjin Fish Market, bringing in raw materials from the early morning auction market, and all products are safely produced through high-temperature sterilization processes. Recently, in collaboration with postbiotics specialist Berum, they have developed a pet probiotic supplement to improve gut health and skin, which is planned to be launched soon.
With this investment, Pet Fresh plans to expand its production facilities and further expand R&D. In August, they plan to participate in 'Super Pet', North America's largest pet expo, to target the overseas market.
Pet Fresh CEO Oh Chan-mi said, "We are continuously conducting research and development to provide customized diet solutions for pets through low-allergy healthy meals," and "We will challenge the North American market with products verified by domestic consumers."

cynical73@fnnews.com Byung-deok Kim, Reporter