A Bootle entrepreneur has turned personal heartbreak into one of the UK’s fastest-growing raw dog food brands, with his company now feeding tens of thousands of dogs across the country.

Ben McIntyre, 30, founder and CEO of Mersey Raw, launched the business in 2022 after losing his dog Jake to liver failure. The experience led him to question the highly processed diets commonly promoted within the mainstream pet food industry.

Determined to challenge the status quo, Ben began researching what dogs are biologically designed to eat and started producing raw dog food himself. Working initially from a small café kitchen, he began formulating meals using fresh, natural ingredients without fillers or additives.

What began as a personal mission has since grown into a multi-seven-figure Liverpool-based business, producing more than 80,000 meals per month, serving over 2,000 regular customers and supplying more than 70 independent pet retailers nationwide.

Since launch, Mersey Raw has shipped over 55,000 direct-to-consumer orders, alongside more than 1,000 wholesale orders to independent pet shops, meaning the brand is estimated to have fed over 50,000 individual dogs across the UK.

Mersey Raw produces all of its food in-house using 100% natural ingredients, with a minimum 80% meat content,. The company’s raw minces are made using fresh frozen ingredients with no fillers, additives or artificial ingredients, offering what the brand describes as a “biologically appropriate alternative to heavily processed pet food”.

The product range has expanded rapidly since the early days. When the business first started, Ben sourced ingredients from local farm shops and butchers, meaning production was limited to what was available and typically just 100kg per product at a time.

Today, Mersey Raw produces 19 different raw food products, holds around 40 tonnes of raw materials and finished goods, and offers a broad range designed to support dogs with different dietary needs, including those with allergies.

Ben, who grew up in Bootle and previously worked as an engineer, says: “I left engineering because I felt like there had to be a better way to build something that actually mattered.

“Losing my dog Jake a couple of years ago completely changed how I looked at the pet food industry. When you start researching what goes into a lot of mainstream dog food, it’s shocking. I knew there had to be a better option for owners who want to give their dogs the best possible nutrition.”

“What started as a personal mission has grown far beyond anything I imagined. Seeing the results customers get with their dogs, whether it’s improved health, energy or quality of life, is what keeps driving us forward.”