By Scott and Ann Springer

Ara Bush says her company was conceived miraculously.

“It was a joining of a number of different things that occurred,” says Bush, the owner of the Kettle Falls, Wash.,-based raw manufacturer of frozen foods for dogs and cats. “I don’t feel personally responsible for company birth or success. I am just the physical body that is willing to put myself through the torture to get it to where it is.”

But seven years later Bush can look back and know that all of the hard work was worth it. Last year, the company, which is run by two families, came close to hitting the $1 million mark in revenue, Bush says.

Raw Advantage’s product line is composed of frozen dinner meals that are formulated to be fed to the animals most days of the week; recipe meals that are primarily protein and should be fed twice a week; snacks and treats that are used to supplement the diet; and formula products for pets with food allergies.

Bush credits Raw Advantage’s success to commitment—her own and that of her employees—and to the quality of the company’s products. “We’re able to maintain our quality because we have the same staff we had in 2001,” she says.

Raw Advantage, Inc., At A Glance: Owner:  Ara Bush Years In Business: 7 years Location: Kettle Falls, Wash. Number of Employees: 5 Flagship Product: Rock Island Raw Web Address: www.rawadvantage.com

The company also uses water pressure to process its hand-packed, organic protein sources instead of hydrologic pressure. “Our product stands out in being closer to what nature intended,” she says.

Raw diets have become increasingly more popular in recent years. “Consumers’ need has grown and many people have realized their pets should eat raw meat, not processed food,” she says. “Even if those processed foods are made of healthy ingredients they still don’t work the same in a dog’s digestive system and produce the same results as do raw foods.”

As raw diets continue to grow in popularity, Raw Advantage will continue to set the industry standard for quality control, Bush says. “Because this is a superior product, we can help to take the lead so that the industry doesn’t lose ground due to concerns about contamination,” she says. <HOME>