Community Highlights: Meet Nick Medved of Furbud Foods

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nick Medved. 

Hi Nick, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I (Nick) started Furbud Foods at the end of 2019. But my process that led to starting the business started at the beginning of 2018. I had been wanting to start my own business for years but never figured out exactly what kind of business to start. My wife and I have a dog and a cat, Hannah and Beans, and I’ve always loved animals and have had dogs and cats my whole life. So, I was thinking maybe I can start a business to make simple, healthy dog treats. At that same time, we were looking for something to help our cat, who can get temperamental when she is anxious or not feeling well (and she has a weakened immune system from her time in a shelter). We were looking for a CBD product after hearing it can help calm people and animals but had a really hard time finding a good CBD product for her that actually tasted good since she can be very picky. Since we couldn’t find anything, I thought I’d try to make a CBD treat for her myself. And then I also figured I’d make CBD dog treats too while I’m at it. After putting in a lot of time and research looking at CBD research by Colorado State University and Cornell, and all other cbd info I could find, I tested out making my own CBD pet treats. After a few attempts, I found treats that seemed to work! Since I had figured out a CBD pet treat that I could trust with my own pets and one I was proud of, I thought it could help fill a hole in the pet CBD market and decided to use this as a product to build a business around. So, with that goal in mind, I tested out how well they kept over time, tweaked the recipe a little bit, tweaked the production process a little bit, and ended up with what we now call Wagnificent CBD Powder. When I had the final version of the initial product. I knew I’d need some help in all aspects of a business. I had a good idea of what to do to launch and run the business but knew I’d need help to be able to work on every part and I know there are aspects that I’m not as strong in. So, I asked my cousins, Brian and Shaun, if they’d like to join me in owning and running Furbud Foods. Since we all have a very close relationship, I knew we could work really well together and this business can be something that we all enjoy building for the foreseeable future. Brian and Shaun agreed to join me and we have been working together on this company ever since. 

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
We haven’t hit any big obstacles yet and our plan is to keep growing slow and steady. Nearly everything we have done has been a learning experience and something brand new for us. So, nothing has been easy, but the challenges have been fun. We plan to keep learning as we go and being very flexible when we do hit big issues and obstacles. 

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
We, Furbud Foods, is a small pet supplement company with plans to grow to pet treats, food, and more. Our initial product is Wagnificent CBD Powder. It’s a limited ingredient, CBD, and probiotic supplement for dogs and cats. It does not have any fillers; every ingredient has a specific purpose. We put in a lot of time and research to formulate the best CBD product we could for our pets and we get it third-party tested to ensure the CBD potency is aligned with what we say is in each bag. We strive to provide as much information and be as transparent as possible so pet parents know they can trust us and know what they are giving their pets! Every order comes with a handwritten thank you note, the 3rd party potency test results, and an info packet with all of the information about Wagnificent and information about CBD from the studies done looking at its impact in dogs. Since there is little to open regulation in this space, there are a lot of bad pet CBD products being sold that mislead customers so it’s important to be able to trust and know what you are getting. Our niche is providing a CBD supplement for pets that is tailored to their tastebuds, not just a bland oil, and contains the right amount of CBD that has been proven to have an impact in the research studies at Colorado State University and Cornell University. We also sell dog bandanas that we design ourselves. We hope to expand to healthy treats and foods for pets in the future. 

How do you define success?
Success for us is just being able to help a dog or cat improve their life by using our product. Just being able to help one dog or one cat is truly amazing and we hope to help as many pets as we can. 

Pricing:

• Small Wagnificent bags are $24-$26
• Large Wagnificent bags are $55-$65
• Bandanas are $17
• Monthly subscriptions for Wagnificent are at a 15% discount

Contact Info:

• Website: furbudfoods@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/furbudfoods/
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/furbudfoods/