[Interview] Gutsy aims to take on the European dog food market: “We’re targeting 33 million meals”

What began as a student project is growing into an ambitious challenger in the premium dog food market. With transparent recipes, local production, and a strong focus on pet stores, the Belgian company Gutsy aims to give the major brands a run for their money.

From a school project to European ambition

It all started with a simple question: what are we actually feeding our dogs? When the founders of Gutsy had to develop a business plan during their studies at Ghent University, they discovered that many dog food brands reveal surprisingly little about their ingredients.

“There are a lot of good brands on the market, but very few actually disclose what’s in their food,” says Jack Lathouwers, co-founder of Gutsy. “We wanted to put an end to that. Why not aim for complete transparency, with local ingredients and Belgian production?”

The school project, which was named “Student Entrepreneurs of the Year,” grew into a company with seven full-time employees. In addition to dog food, Gutsy now offers snacks, supplements, and grooming products. The brand has built a distribution network with retailers including Aveve, Horta, and Tom&Co.

But its ambitions extend beyond Belgium. “We want to make Gutsy a European player. Our goal is to deliver more than 33 million meals to dogs in Western and Northern Europe within five years.” By way of comparison: since its founding, the company says it has delivered approximately three million meals.

Transparency as a competitive advantage

Gutsy operates in a market dominated by international giants like Royal Canin and Purina. Yet the young company sees opportunities. According to Jack, the pet market is growing by more than 5% annually, while the premium segment is expanding even faster.

“In the past, a dog was often just a guard dog. Today, it’s truly part of the family. People want to be mindful about how they care for their dog and know what they’re feeding it.” He believes this shift makes premium dog food relatively resilient to pressure on the family budget. “People might cut back on an extra collar or other accessory, but food remains essential.”

To differentiate itself more strongly, Gutsy is working on a complete rebranding. Starting March 1, 2027, new packaging will appear in stores, with the products’ ingredients taking center stage. “The packaging essentially becomes the recipe,” says Jack. With this, the brand aims to commit more radically to transparency than current regulations require.

No supermarkets, just specialty stores

Noteworthy is the deliberate choice to focus on specialty retail. Today, Gutsy generates approximately 85% of its sales through retail partners and 15% directly to consumers. “We strongly believe in the expertise of pet specialty stores. The staff have years of experience and can advise customers on the food that best suits their dog.”

Lathouwers wants to avoid the brand competing with its own distribution partners. “We’re not in favor of selling the same product through different channels. Each product has its own channel.”

Physical stores also play a key role in customer acquisition. In addition to digital marketing, Gutsy organizes product demonstrations at retailers, where consumers can discover the products. “Retail remains by far our most important channel.”

Belgian production, international scale

Behind the scenes, too, Gutsy takes a unique approach. The company has its food and supplements manufactured in Belgium and uses local ingredients as much as possible. It enlists the help of the social enterprise BWB for packaging and order fulfillment.

This local focus doesn’t have to stand in the way of international growth. According to Jack Lathouwers, the production partner already has 28 factories across Europe. “If we placed an order tomorrow that was ten times larger than today’s, that shouldn’t normally be a problem.” The challenge, therefore, lies primarily in commercial expansion. To finance this, Gutsy is working on a new round of funding, which the company aims to finalize this fall.

“We want to become a challenger”

According to Gutsy’s estimates, the Belgian dog food market is worth approximately 650 million euros. For Western Europe, the company estimates a market of about 20 billion euros. The growth potential is therefore considerable, though Jack realizes that competition from international brands is fierce. “We’re still a small player today. We won’t suddenly become Royal Canin overnight, but we do want to be a challenger.”

He believes customer loyalty is a key asset. Once people find a dog food that works for them, they often stick with it for years. Gutsy says it even has a customer who has been ordering consistently for four years—since the company’s founding—and has placed 48 orders so far.

With its new brand identity, additional capital, and international ambitions, Gutsy now wants to take the next step. And those ambitions aren’t just about gaining market share: “If, with our new brand, we can get the major players to look at transparency and dog food differently, that in itself would be a great achievement.”

During the RetailDetail Night on 19 November, Gutsy will share its growth story and the challenges faced by a young Belgian challenger during the Gamechangers program.