Interview with Samantha Beard - The Art of Whole Food

Another inspirational woman in the Pet Industry we are celebrating this week is Samantha Beard.

Combining her love of whole foods, cooking and passion for pets, Sam launched Pet Bone Broths in 2019 while juggling three kids and a growing business.

Tell us a bit about your business? 
We initially starting making bone broth to sell in our Store that we owned in Sydney a few years ago. The uptake was amazing and the broths eventually grew into a separate business with a number of different products that we sold into many independent retailers nationally. Over the last 18 months we expanded into making pet broths for animal health. The pet side of the business has experienced amazing growth and we now have 3 main products within this division of the business.

Our Company ethos is to promote health and wellbeing in humans and their furry friends.

What inspired you to start your business?
I started the business in 2014 making bone broths for people and then introduced the pet range in 2019. I wanted to help people with health issues initially and then I was seeing the same kind of benefits in pet’s health. It helps pet’s digestion, joints, coat and skin health and I love getting feedback on how the broths help in their daily life.

What are your three biggest challenges in running and growing your business?
The main challenge is trying to juggle a growing business and a young family. When I started The Art of Whole Food I had 3 children under 6, plus we also had a busy retail store in Sydney that was a 7 day a week operation.

As with any small business, managing cashflow is another challenge. In the early days we were fortunate not to have all our eggs in one basket which kept the need to seek external debt and financing at bay.

Another challenge is dealing with overseas suppliers of critical components such as packaging. Getting our packaging produced overseas can greatly control costs however you need to be prepared for the occasional lengthy delay in transport.

What are the three things you are most proud of in your business?
Feedback from customers that have seen marked improvements in their pets health and also knowing I’m making a great product within the health space for both humans and their pets.

The Art of Whole Food is coming soon to WONDERPETS…