How This Raw Food Startup Is Taking a Bite Out of the $45B Pet Industry

Amy Zalneraitis never set out to be in the pet food business.

As a creative director in the fashion industry, she was building a successful career far removed from the world of canine nutrition. But when her younger sister Alissa was diagnosed with late-stage colon cancer in her early thirties, Amy’s life took an unexpected turn.

Alissa had built a thriving raw dog food business in Austin, Texas, which she had expanded nationally and continued running until the final week of her life. When she passed, there was no time to spare. Production needed to continue, meat deliveries needed to be made, and customers relied on the food. Amy and her family jumped in, transforming their tragedy into what would become a thriving business.

Today, We Feed Raw is at the forefront of disrupting the $45 billion pet food industry in the U.S., where fresh and raw food is estimated to grow by $3.2 billion from 2025 to 2029— the fastest-growing segment in the space.

On a recent episode of One Day with Jon Bier, Amy shared her journey from reluctant entrepreneur to passionate advocate for better pet nutrition. Here are key insights from our conversation.

The problem with dog food

According to Amy, dogs’ biological machinery isn’t designed to handle constant blood sugar spikes from the soluble carbohydrates found in kibble. The results are concerning: 60% of dogs in the U.S. are obese or overweight, and 50% will get cancer by age. For many dogs, most of their calories come from ultra-processed foods, meal after meal.

“Why are we accepting this as normal?” Amy asks. Her solution is to feed dogs their original, evolutionary diet of raw food.

Challenging conventional wisdom—carefully

Amy knows something needs to be done to educate the consumer but in a constructive way. Therefore, she’s careful to be nuanced in her sales approach.

“We have to be really bold in our messaging because we are disrupting a space,” she explains. “But we have to be careful not to have any sort of shaming tone.” Most pet owners love their dogs like family and don’t knowingly want to harm them.

“The transition can be tough sometimes for people, too. They’re spending a lot more money, and they wanna see these results happen,” she says. The solution? We Feed Raw’s customer service team helps people through the transition period, especially since dogs who have been eating processed food for years may need time for their gut microbiome to adjust.

Knowing your role

Some founders struggle to let go—not Amy, who has a refreshing perspective on her strengths and limitations. “I’m not a CEO at all,” she admits. “That is not how my brain works.” Instead, she embraces her role as a creative and passionate brand advocate. The company recently brought on a CEO and CMO who Amy describes as “the most badass, smart women” she’s ever worked with. “I don’t feel even close to as smart as them, and I love it because they just know what to do. We all kind of work together in this very complementary way.”

Building brand identity

One of Amy’s first major moves after securing outside funding was investing heavily in brand development. She hired Preacher, a creative agency in Austin, to create We Feed Raw’s identity. “It was a very collaborative process – the colors, the look, the feel, the vibe,” she explains.

The investment paid off: “It really helps us stand out. It gave us credibility.” In an industry full of what she calls “crappy pet food branding,” this early focus on brand identity helped set We Feed Raw apart.

Staying strong through the struggles

For Amy, entrepreneurship has been a profound teacher of resilience. “Learning not to stay down for too long when you get knocked down,” she says. “I think it can feel really overwhelming to feel like you’re getting punched in the face over and over again… but sometimes the most genius thing we did was we didn’t give up.”

One of her hardest periods came before securing serious funding when the business was operating month to month. Even as people questioned what she was doing, she kept the faith. “This is gonna work. I know this is gonna work,” she told herself.

During a particularly dark moment, a text buddy recommended that she listen to “How I Built This.” The podcast became her lifeline. “It saved me because I realized there are other people out there like me,” she explains. “You have to protect your mind and energy when you’re in that space because most people will tell you you’re crazy.”