Being a pet parent is a lifestyle that more people are leaning towards today. Pets of Paradise is a Chennai-based brand that sells healthy, gourmet-style food for your fur babies, improving pet health one day at a time!
Building a brand, one paw at a time
We got to sit down with Hari Shankar, one of the co-founders of the brand, who takes us through his story. “My father started manufacturing dog food in India in 1997, so I grew up in the space. I mean that quite literally because we had 15 dogs and 10 cats in our house,” he laughs. “After working with him for five years, I found that there was a gap in the distribution and supply chain, so I branched out and launched my own B2B startup in 2019, called Europet Products. Four years in, with all the data we had amassed on demography, seasonality, and what works, we identified a niche that we could build on. I teamed up with three other entrepreneurs in the pet care space—Deepesh, who handles the e-commerce, operations, and logistics, Bhavya, who does the branding, packaging, and website content, and Darshankaur, who is the CMO and the founder of Waggy Zone ice creams for dogs, which we sell. Together, we started Pets of Paradise in 2024.”
Hari wanted to cater to the needs of Indian pet parents through culturally and climatically relevant food. With the advent of a new brand came the challenges. “The biggest issue was that we had no D2C experience, which is the space we wanted to get into. We were strong in distribution, supply chain management, understanding the products, and market knowledge. It was an eye-opener, realising that the best narrative or story wins, not the best product. Louder, better marketing that sticks, that’s what sets you apart, especially in a market that is evolving so rapidly.”
The rise of pet culture
Hari explains current trends in the market and how social media has influenced a new generation of pet parents. “The post-COVID period has seen a boom in the pet sphere in India. Adoptions are through the roof, especially of cats. In the next 4-5 years, there might be as many cats as dogs, which is interesting because traditionally, India has been a dog market, owing to superstitions associated with cats. Now, because of influencer marketing, content creation and memes, there is a major change in dynamics.”
The shift in mindset and the growth in the market can be largely attributed to the internet. “Pet parents are spending much more on their pets. Dogs are no longer tied to the door to guard the house; they’re part of the family now. My wife and I have no kids, but we have 14 dogs and 4 cats. I see similar patterns in my batchmates as well, and it’s a satisfying lifestyle. I don’t feel like I’m missing out on the parenting bit. The care and attention that goes towards your pets today is remarkable, and this opens up a lot of avenues for the market to grow exponentially. In the near future, we’re going to see daycares, pet resorts, and pet cafeterias—an evolution of spaces for people whose social circles revolve around their pets. It’s not simply a fading trend.”
Packaging for the brand’s Indiecat-Royals range of products
Decoding the pet market
He details how trends work, using his experience, supplemented with statistics. “Growth for any product or lifestyle choice is slow in the initial days. Until it gets to about 15%, then the growth to 50% is rapid, on account of word of mouth and peer influence. We are in that space right now, where people are motivated by their peers with pets to get one for themselves. Today, 7-9% of Indian households have pets, whereas abroad, that figure is at 65%. The pet industry in India is $1-2 billion, and in the US, it’s $200 billion. But the fascinating thing is, the number of pets isn’t all that different. Around 40 million pets in India, compared to a marginally higher 66 million in the US. The major difference is that Indians don’t spend on their pets, which is what we’re hoping to change. I’ve learnt so much over the years about the industry and subsequently, myself as a founder,” he shares.
Reflections and lessons
When asked about leadership lessons, Hari notes, “I don’t know if I’m a good leader, but I’ve discovered a whole lot. I used to push myself ruthlessly when I started. I got this far by working harder each day; I knew no other way. I was constantly burned out; I was working 16 hours a day. What I realised, though, is that this wasn’t how you build a big company. You can’t multiply your efforts, because you only have so many hours in a day. Eventually, I moved towards identifying new talent and building a good team. Now, I focus on strategising, guiding and depending on other people. The biggest takeaway for me is understanding that I cannot solve all the world’s problems.”
If given a chance to start over, Hari mentions what the team would do differently. “Attempting to make an all-encompassing product was the wrong approach. We should’ve tried to solve a simpler, singular problem and gone forward with communicating that. High protein, good for bones, good for skin, better for digestion—there were just too many things happening at once. We should’ve pinpointed one problem and carved out a niche. We needed better clarity and vision, but hindsight is 20/20,” he smiles.
Advertisement for their best-selling range of cat food
Building a treat of a community
Instead of simply selling pet care products, Pets of Paradise has gone above and beyond to create a community for pet parents and add value in ways other than sales. They have educational content and courses for new pet owners, free nutritional consultations, and a 24/7 WhatsApp support community. “We, from the beginning, were determined to help people in ways other than just providing products. The products themselves are mostly suggested by our customers. Before launching, we do trials with about 100 pet parents, get their feedback, refine the formulation, and then list them on the website, after following stringent production standards.”
Hari jokes that even human food doesn’t go through the rounds of scrutiny that their pet food does. Creating gourmet, nutritious food for pets is an equally demanding and fun process. Their cat treats have three variants: scallop, lobster, and crab. No Indian brand is doing this at the moment, giving Pets of Paradise an edge. Their products have locally sourced moringa extract, Ashwagandha, organic beetroot powder, pumpkin seeds, and fortified nutritional yeast, chosen for their benefits in natural nutrition, extra energy, immunity and rock-solid gut health. Nature provides many superfoods—the brand is making sure your pets get the very best of them. They’re also bringing in the highest quality Australian lamb. He reveals that the team is working on releasing two sub-brands, Barkkins and Purrkins. Simple, ready-to-eat, home-style foods that are full of nutritional value.
Looking back and ahead
Hari reflects on the journey so far and defines his version of success. So many people depend on the brand, directly or indirectly. They’re able to help by employing people as well as improving pets’ health. “Our goal is to reach as many happy houses full of love and help as many pet parents as possible, giving their pets the health and happiness they’ve always wanted. The satisfaction we get when our community helps a fellow pet parent build a deeper bond with their pet is indescribable. We can’t wait to share that feeling with millions of homes across India.”
The change in health after consuming Pets of Paradise’s food is incredible, he says, speaking from personal experience of his own full house of pets. “All of our pets at home were taken from the streets where they were abandoned, bones sticking out, weak and hungry. Now, they all have shiny coats and look royal, proof that the food is working!” he laughs.
In the future, they look forward to hosting hyperlocal events with behaviourists, interactive activities, and pet parents sharing anecdotes about life with pets. “What keeps me motivated, even when days are hard, is the stories we hear from people in the community. On a personal note, I have a strong bond to animals, so I feel like this is my calling in life, and this is what I’m meant to do. What I love about Pets of Paradise is, I’ve been involved with community work around animals all my life, but now I get to do this day in and day out, surrounded by a team who all feel and live the same way. Sometimes it feels like what we do at POP might be a drop in the bucket, but the love, smiles and wagging tails we see on a daily basis is soul satisfying in a way that none of us take for granted. We dream about the day we get to open animal shelters and make a difference on a much larger scale. I believe with Pets of Paradise, we’ll get there” he sums up passionately.
Pets of Paradise products can be found on www.petsofparadise.store
