JYP Composer-Turned-Founder Scores Second 'Hit' with Homemade Dog Food for Pets

Dog Raw Food Brand 'ThinkLikePet'
Pioneering a Blue Ocean with Customized Subscription Service

"I always think about how my family dog can stay healthy longer. Of course, I only use ingredients that are safe for humans to eat, and I even taste the food myself to check the flavor. For example, kale can taste salty depending on the season, so I taste it directly."

In an era with 15 million pet owners, the desire to feed healthy food to dogs, just as one would want to give good food to their children, led to a startup. The recipe for cooked food dog food, which was researched extensively to treat his own dog, became the company's greatest asset. Cooked food dog food is made by cooking ingredients and feeding them in a form close to their original shape. Since it was an uncharted path, there were many trials and errors in creating the production process, but thanks to that, they stayed ahead of the trend. This is the story of Park Tami, founder of Think Like Pet, who transformed from a star composer to a dog food manufacturer. He created hit songs for popular idols ITZY and GOT7 at JYP Entertainment and is still active as a composer.

From the left, Park Tami, founder of ThinkLikePet, and Yoo Bomi, COO of ThinkLikePet. Photo by Jo Yongjun jun21@

Developing Recipes by Consulting Global Pet Food Experts

Compared to the uniform dry food, cooked food dog food preserves the original taste of ingredients while offering higher digestibility and absorption. Compared to canned wet food, it has a chewy texture and allows visual confirmation of the ingredients. It is about 2 to 3 times more expensive than dry food. While it has established itself as a premium product in the large U.S. pet market, it remains unfamiliar in Korea.

Founder Park first encountered cooked food dog food because of his dog 'Chloe.' He fed dry food to Chloe, whom he adopted from a shelter, but her stool condition worsened. Taking her to the hospital only resulted in advice to try a different brand of food. Unable to leave Chloe, who was in her late 50s in human years, untreated, he searched the internet. By chance, he discovered cooked food dog food and saw a noticeable improvement in her condition after feeding it. Convinced that he could no longer feed the existing food, Park sought out experts. There are only a few hundred animal nutritionists worldwide who can make cooked food dog food according to the American Association of Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) standards, and only about 50 specialize in dogs. Of those contacted, only three responded. Among them, he partnered with Dr. Beth Hamper, a veterinarian, to develop the recipe. Dr. Hamper is a member of the American Academy of Veterinary Nutrition and has served as a consultant for Freshpet, a pet food manufacturer listed on the NASDAQ.

Park Tami, founder of Think Like Pet. Photo by Yongjun Cho jun21@

After developing the recipe, the company was established in 2018. Park thought it would be enough to just build a factory to make the food, but that was not easy either. Food made solely considering the dog's nutrition could not meet the expectations of the owners. To captivate the owners who select and purchase the food, the recipe was revised and the production process continuously changed. Park explained, "When we added fresh blueberries, they looked like mold, so we changed them to powder form. We boiled the ingredients and discarded the leftover broth because it made the food mushy. It took two years to complete the current process."

Low Awareness of Cooked Food Dog Food... Pioneering Through Online Sales

The business got on track starting in 2020. They received a 2 billion KRW investment from external investors and expanded the factory. They also opened their own online mall and a Naver Smart Store. They judged that online sales were suitable due to the low awareness of cooked food dog food. Even now, many customers come by searching for cooked or natural food rather than the brand.

From the left, Park Tami, founder of ThinkLikePet, and Yoo Bomi, COO of ThinkLikePet. Photo by Jo Yongjun jun21@

Last year, Yoo Bo-mi, Chief Operating Officer (COO), joined the management team. Yoo COO is a former venture capital (VC) analyst at SoPoong Ventures. She encountered the cooked food dog food brand as an investor and became involved in management. Yoo COO closed the company’s own mall and unified sales channels through the Naver Brand Store. This was to focus on products and customer service instead of managing the online mall. Along with this, Think Like Pet used Naver’s subscription solution to provide customers with ordering, notifications, and automatic payment functions. Since this is a staple food for pets, it is a function to ensure continuous supply without interruption. Payment errors decreased compared to before, increasing customer satisfaction. Yoo COO said, "Because we make fresh ingredient products, inventory management is important, but using the subscription solution made demand forecasting possible," adding, "It is also an advantage to secure loyal customers and steady sales."

This year, sales are expected to reach 3 billion KRW, an 80% increase from last year. With the transition to the Naver Brand Store, sales management costs have decreased, and they expect to turn a profit starting this year. They had been running at a loss due to spending on research and development and facility investment, but now the fruits of those efforts are beginning to show. They plan to diversify products in the future. They are preparing a dried natural food that becomes wet food when water is added, similar to powdered milk. Founder Park said, "A pit bull that had been receiving steroid injections for skin disease since age 7 stopped needing injections after eating Think Like Pet food, and such customer experiences are our driving force," adding, "We will promote cooked food dog food and expand the market share."

Think Like Pet Dog Wet Food. Photo by Jo Yongjun jun21@

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.