According to the results of the 2022 public awareness survey on animal protection announced by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs in January 2023, the rate of raising companion animals, which was 17.9% in 2012, was reported to have increased to 25.4% in 2022. In addition, the average monthly childcare cost per pet was 153,800 won, which is an increase of 30,000 won compared to the previous year. This change is due to a natural increase in consumption as the interest of pet owners grows. In particular, the market for functional feed and nutritional supplements is expanding. In 2022, the domestic pet nutrition market recorded 22.4 billion won, up 15% from the previous year, and the market size is expected to expand further as leading domestic pharmaceutical companies enter the pet nutrition market.

In this trend, Pet21 captured the hearts of consumers with its differentiated identity by introducing herbal supplements and nutritious snacks for pets. We met with Choi A-young, CEO of Pet21, who wants to introduce healthier and more beneficial products through herbal pet food brand 'IfAnimal'.

Pet21 CEO Choi A-young

Please introduce the company.

Pet21 operates the companion animal herbal medicine research brand 'If Animal' It is a company that does If Animal uses recipes that have been clinically completed based on research on the constitution and characteristics of animals by a research institute director with over 55 years of experience in the herbal medicine business. We make herbal medicines using more than 98% of herbal medicines, and through a long period of research, we are developing, manufacturing and distributing nutritional supplements and health snacks using herbal medicines that have no side effects for pets.

If Animal’s slogan is ‘If I were you’. We started with the belief that what is good for people is also good for pets. We have been conducting research for a long time on healing through nature, and will continue to strive to provide a healthy brand image through scientific and reliable verification.

In addition, Pet21 is a company with a horizontal discussion culture and a structure in which all employees work together to cooperate. We plan to continue to maintain this organizational culture and grow into a company that can always reflect the voices of customers with an open mind.

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What are your main businesses and differentiation?

Pet21's If Animal focuses on healthy food based on herbal medicine. We sell nutritional supplements for each disease and age that can manage the entire life cycle of pets using herbal medicine recipes tailored to pets. The lineup includes six types of herbal nutritional supplements for each symptom, including mental and physical stability, eye health, weight, skin, joints, and vitality, as well as herbal nutritional supplements helpful for idiopathic cystitis and high-quality nutritional supplements specialized for senior dogs. We also sell healthy snacks such as deer antler sticks, cookies, and vegetable pellets containing herbal medicine.

There are more products with specific medicinal ingredients added as additives than you might think. However, If Animal wanted to make a real herbal nutritional supplement rather than a product with a much higher content of secondary ingredients that focused on preference. So, we conducted palatability research for more than 6 years and were able to create a product made up of more than 98% herbal medicine. There was a lot of talk about whether dogs eat herbal medicine or that it is not easy for cats because they have strong likes and dislikes, but pets are more familiar with nature than you might think. It is a human prejudice that guardians think that herbal medicine is bitter.

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Even if you just make a regular pill, more than 50% of pets will eat it well, but we hope that everyone will accept it without resistance. I conducted research for more than 6 years. okayNowadays, most dogs accept it without hesitation as long as you give them an opportunity to become familiar with it after an initial adaptation period, such as by feeding it with food or snacks. In the case of cats, they really like herbs themselves. Pets immediately recognize what they need, such as eating grass while taking a walk, carrying a branch in their mouth, or smelling something. In any case, since all pets come from the wild, I think the habits that are ingrained in them are not forgotten. Since natural food is better for humans than processed food, I think the same is true for pets. If Animal has become especially popular for its deer antler sticks. Antlers are made by keratinizing deer antlers and are often used as a tonic. The nutritional content itself is completely different from deer antler, and deer antler may not be suitable for some people depending on their constitution, but deer antler is not limited by constitution. Therefore, deer antlers do not cause allergies or side effects even if your dog eats them, and they contain a lot of calcium and various minerals, so they are much more beneficial to your health. It is also popular with dogs that grind their teeth, dogs that bite a lot and need to relieve stress, and is also effective in removing tartar.

Dogs whose teeth are supposed to fall out but do not, lose their teeth in the process of tearing at the deer antler stick. Even dogs that chew on things like furniture can benefit from playing with deer antler sticks. There are such side effects, and word of mouth has spread among dog owners as a bone treat and dog gum that is good for teeth grinding, so sales are high even though there has been no separate marketing until now.

Pet21 considers promoting oriental medicine as the most important thing when developing products. There are many fields where oriental medicine ingredients can be used, including snacks and nutritional supplements, but also supplies and beauty products. Research and development are continuing to apply to pet grooming and skin health. In fact, my pet dog also suffered from atopic dermatitis, but it improved even after just bathing him in water mixed with herbal medicine for about 6 months. From my own experience, I believe that oriental medicine is much better for beauty and skin health.

If it is a trauma, you should go to the hospital, but if the problem occurs due to environmental factors, you need to improve the fundamentals first. do. So, I am thinking of products that can be easily stored or accessed in real life. While Western medicine focuses on specific ingredients, Oriental medicine cannot ignore the synergy effect when medicinal ingredients meet.

What is your future goal?

Pet21 will strive to grow IfAnimal into a trustworthy brand by continuously researching and developing products that can scientifically verify and meet customer needs for pet owners who have preconceptions about herbal medicine. Animals have long had methods for self-healing, and people have also learned a lot through this. We want to inform sick and unwell animals that oriental medicine treatment with minimal side effects is possible, rather than harsh drugs or expensive hospital treatment. We will continue to develop our products by focusing on healing from nature and applying it to not only food but also supplies. This is my idea.

Due to the nature of herbal medicine whose prescriptions vary depending on the constitution, it is not easy to provide scientific proof, but the effective ingredients are analyzed through the R&D center and national projects are steadily operated. We will do our best to provide you with trust as an herbal medicine research brand for pets.

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