Youth entrepreneurship is alive and kicking in South Africa if the adventure of a young dog-loving couple is anything to go by. Raeesa and Shaad Jardine were both heading straight for the corporate world with their degrees in business science and finance, but their passion for dogs took them down the white-water rapids of entrepreneurship.
Today, six years after starting their dogfood business straight out of university, they own a factory that produces a ton of top-quality raw dog food per day. More importantly, they have a growing brand, Primal, with first-mover advantage in a niche in the dog-food market that they discovered and pioneered in South Africa.
Raeesa and Shaad met on their very first day at Wits University and soon discovered that they shared a love for dogs, especially thoroughbred pitbull terriers. Their keen interest in the breed, plus the fact that they lost two of their beloved “fur babies” to cancer, prompted a search for an alternative diet for their dogs.
All their research pointed to raw meat as the most naturally suited food for dogs. Internationally, top dog breeders and owners seemed to have discovered this a while ago but locally the idea had not quite surfaced yet. There was simply nothing on the market, not at the supermarkets nor pet shops, nor on the South African dog-show circuit in which they participated.
As they asked around and researched the best combinations of bone, fat, and meat to give their dogs a fully balanced diet, they realised that they had discovered a major gap in the market. A whole community of dog enthusiasts was ready to buy raw-meat meals for their dogs, provided it was affordable, balanced and of top quality.
Shaad, who came from a family business, did not think twice about turning the idea into a business even while he was completing his Masters Degree in finance. Raeesa had just completed her business science degree and had her sights set on becoming a chartered accountant, but the opportunity facing them was simply too compelling, and she threw herself into the project with Shaad.
Working from home with a start-up capital of R6 000, they contracted a manufacturer to produce frozen meals made from chicken parts according to their first recipe. They kept the plastic-covered polony-shaped packages in a chest freezer, but not for long. Their network of dog-lovers throughout Johannesburg eagerly placed orders, and soon they found themselves travelling throughout the city to deliver the orders directly to their clients.
Within two months they were turning a profit and from the start it was clear that Primal was set to fly like a rocket. Unfortunately, that much was also clear to the manufacturer whom they had contracted. They discovered that he was selling their product on the side – under the same name. Apart from the theft of their clientele and breach of contract, his actions were causing major confusion in the new market that the Jardine’s were trying to establish.
They scrambled to set up their own production facility, which essentially meant equipping a small butchery, using funds generated by their sales. To save costs, they rented a tiny space and made it work, with Raeesa jumping in to pack meat herself when the pressure mounted. Taking charge of their own production was a good thing, because they were constantly improving their recipes and adding new products in response to the enthusiastic demands of the markets.
But the drawn-out lawsuit on which they have had to embark to stop their erstwhile contractor from usurping their brand was utterly stressful and exhausting, even though they won – with costs – every step of the way.
Their business growth was nonetheless relentless, and they had to find bigger premises. It made sense to buy a workshop they found in the south of Johannesburg, but quickly realised just how unsuited bank finance was for a start-up business such as theirs. There are all sorts of hurdles such as the requirement of being older than three years, but the worst was the 30% to 40% deposit the banks wanted them to put down before they would consider financing the property.
Fortunately, they found Business Partners Limited, who was willing to finance 100% of the property in return for a minority shareholding in the property which the Jardines will buy back over several years. “At first, I was sceptical about the deal, but now it makes complete sense. Rather than tying it up in a deposit, we could use our cashflow to grow the business,” says Raeesa.
Primal moved into its new premises in December 2019, a few months before the world ground to a halt as the first of the Covid-19 lockdowns kicked in. Rather than wiping them out, the pandemic supercharged Primal’s growth. Thousands of dog owners were cooped up at home, paying more attention to their pets than ever, and upgrading to raw food.
Even as these new clients moved back to work as the pandemic subsided, they still buy Primal for their pets. “Once an owner sees the health and the shiny coat that a raw meat diet gives their pet, there is no going back to pellets,” says Raeesa.
Raeesa and Shaad plan to stick to their strategy of delivering directly to the customer’s door, rather than the cut-throat game of vying for supermarket shelf space. They have their own drivers who do Gauteng deliveries, and work with independent distributors in the other metropolitan centres. Plans are under way to develop a franchise of pet stores based on premium raw-meat products.
When Raeesa looks back on the last six years, she is not surprised about how far they had come – the potential of the business was clear from the beginning. What does surprise her though is how hard the road was. “I’ve cried for this business, and I’ve bled for this business,” she says, but it was an amazing way to spend their twenties.
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