Colorful your life
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What Benefits You Receive?
IT ALL BEGAN WITH A DOG NAMED LUCY.
Eric & Breann Shook, Owners & Founders of Grandma Lucy's, have been crafting freeze-dried pet food and treats since 1999. It all started with their English Cocker Spaniel, Lucy. She was a picky eater and refused to eat what was given to her at that time. With Breann's love for her dog and her entrepreneurial spirit, she set off on a mission to create an all-natural approach to dog food. Now over 20 years later, Breann and Eric have provided Grandma Lucy's freeze-dried recipes to millions of animals across the country.
THE FIRST FREEZE-DRYER
Eric and Breann always joke about the fact that their first freeze-dryer was older than both of them! This freeze dryer was small but mighty, and got them through the first years of business!
Fun Fact: Eric and Breann's first 3 freeze-dryers were named after their dogs: Lucy, Ali, and Bradley.
FREEZE-DRIED MEATBALL TREATS
When the dynamic duo were not out selling treats and meeting fellow pet lovers, they were in the company's kitchen rolling meatballs by hand, baking, freeze-drying and packaging. They could barely keep up with production all while going to college! It was a lot but they wouldn't change a minute of it.
Fun Fact: Eric and Breann used to bribe their friends with pizza and beer to help hand roll those meatballs!
TIME TO HIT THE ROAD!
Eric and Breann started out by attending every pet event in th area. The word spread quickly. Pet store owners and pet owners were instantly supportive of our company’s new pet food products.
THE FIRST BIG ORDER!
The next decade would bring many changes and innovations to the pet food industry, with Grandma Lucy’s becoming a forerunner in the home-prepared pet food category. Our continued focus on high-quality, wholesome products would gain the respect of pet parents and tail-wagging reviews from the pets. Distribution would swell from several hundred localized stores to several thousand stores throughout the US and Canada.
OVEN-BAKED DOG TREATS
From Lemon Wedges to Ginger Snaps, we followed up our freeze-dried meatball treats with some delicious baked treats. Modeled after some of our favorite family recipes, these were a quick favorite!
OWNER & THE FUTURE CEO
Eric and Breann always enjoyed including their children in as much of Grandma Lucy’s as they could. When their first child was born, they had a nursery in the office! They would attend local community events with them when they were little and have been known to pop in at a trade show or two over the years!
ARTISAN & THE BEAR
2007 was a big year for Grandma Lucy's! Due to the pet food recalls of 2007, Eric and Breann created their first complete and balanced pet food - Artisan. As if that wasn't enough, they also released their 100% USDA Organic, Human-Grade Baked Treats, and the bear was born!
Fun Fact: Everyone in the office has an open bag on their desk and they're not just for the dogs!
PUREFORMANCE - THE SECOND FOOD LINE
Pureformance was created for a much-needed diet that supports, not only energetic dogs but also diabetic dogs. It has a low glycemic index and releases energy into the body slowly to help maintain a consistent energy level. Finding solutions is what we do!
OUR NEW HOME
An opportunity came up that Eric and Breann were not expecting. A human-food manufacturing facility went up for sale, and it was perfect! The facility was purchased along with 3 new freeze-dryers! It allowed us to double our freeze-drying capacity, making the move one of the best decisions they ever made!
WOMEN OF INFLUENCE AWARD
Breann won the 2016 Pet Age's Women of Influence award! The Women of Influence program honors and generates recognition of the achievements and positive contributions of women in the booming pet product field. We are honored to receive this award celebrating Breann and her efforts!
MACANNA WINS!
Every single ingredient in Macanna was chosen with a specific benefit in mind, and people noticed! In 2017, the readers of Pet Age Magazine awarded our Macanna food line with their Reader’s Choice Award. In working with our veterinary partners, we combined some of the healthiest, most nutrient-rich superfood ingredients and proteins to mirror some of the top recipes in the human food industry.
20 YEARS & THRIVING
To celebrate our 20-year anniversary, Breann and her daughter, Alex, took giving back to a whole new level with the formation of Project Pet RAK. What started as a way to reward others for completing random acts of kindness, and supporting pets with food donations, has grown to so much more, allowing Project Pet RAK to help strengthen human-animal bonds worldwide!
ERIC WINS ICON AWARD
Eric Shook celebrates over 20 years in the pet industry and wins the Pet Age Icon Award! This annual award honors those pet professionals with long-term passion and success within the pet food community.
AWARD SEASON
Breann Shook wins the JPMorgan Chase & Co. "Women on the Move" Award from OC Business Journal. This award recognizes women who have made significant contributions to their organizations, their professions, and the Orange County Community. Also in 2022, Grandma Lucy’s wins the Pet Insight 2022 Vanguard Award for the Freeze-Dried Foods category! The annual Vanguard Awards recognize manufacturers that are leading their respective categories.
A MISSION TO GIVE BACK
The human-animal bond is strong and improves people and their animal's quality of life. This important bond led Breann, their daughter Alex, and two other amazing pet lovers to create the non-profit, Locks4Paws. They have opened pet food banks filled with Grandma Lucy's food across the USA!
When we started Grandma Lucy’s,
who would have known that our first meatball recipe we made in our home kitchen, would lead us to where we are today. We still cannot believe it has been over 20 years since our journey began. Looking back on old photos, many of the memories seem like just yesterday. We took a passion and made it a business that we are so grateful to be able to share with you. Thank you to everyone we have met along the way and we look forward to sharing the next 20 years with you!
Breann and Eric Shook
Founders, Grandma Lucy's
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