When people ask me what it's like to be with Weruva for 19 years, starting as the very first employee, they usually expect stories about pet food. But my favorite story is actually about a dog named Baron.
Before the Cans, There Was Baron
When I first joined David and Stacie Forman in their living-room-turned-office, I was getting to know more than just a business plan. I was getting to know their hearts. They told me about their first adopted dog, a "hard case" from the shelter named Tino the Terrible. He was aggressive, difficult, and labeled "unadoptable" by many.
David and Stacie didn't see a "terrible" dog. They saw a life worth saving. They rescued him, renamed him Baron, and gave him the love he deserved.
That told me everything I needed to know. I realized then that our mission wasn't just about selling pet food. It was about a genuine, giant-hearted devotion to animals. If they were willing to put in the work for Baron, I knew they would never cut corners for our customers.
Twenty years later, that same "Baron-sized" heart is still the engine of this company.
The Early Days
Before Weruva was a household name, it was a collection of gift bags on a living room floor. I remember those early days vividly. We didn't have a sprawling warehouse. We had David and Stacie's carpet. We would sit there for hours, hand-packing samples into little bags, trying to find the words to explain why this food was different. We were talking about "human-style" cuts of meat in a world that was used to brown mush.
My first "big win" felt like a tidal wave. A long-time contact at NYC Pet in Brooklyn, New York gave us a giant vote of confidence by taking a large drop shipment for his chain. He saw the groundbreaking potential in our shredded beef and loins of fish.
I'll never forget setting up our very first endcap in one of his stores. I didn't just set it up and leave. I waited. I stood there until I saw a mother and her teenage daughter stop. They pointed at our cute food names and smiled. Then they looked at the pictures of the actual food inside and put it in their cart.
I was ecstatic. That moment was proof that the hard work on the living room floor was worth it.
What Hasn't Changed
A lot has changed in 20 years.
I remember a literal road trip to Florida, driving south with David and the three founding cats, Webster, Rudi, and Vanessa, in a large pen in the back. The human family was expanding, they needed more space, and I was right there for the ride.
Since then, Weruva has grown far beyond those early days. The team is larger and our products reach pet families around the world.
But if you want to know what hasn't changed, look at the cans. In an industry where companies often "optimize" or cut costs by changing recipes over time, Weruva has stood still in the best way possible. Our original recipes remain unchanged. We still use the same high-quality, world-class ingredients we did on day one. We still believe that feeding your pets should be fun, which is why we've kept our quirky names and our sense of humor.
I've stayed here for 19 years because David and Stacie treat their employees with the same integrity they treat their products. They support us, they innovate constantly, and they refuse to compromise.
We started with a mission to provide genuine nutrition, and two decades later that commitment remains as strong as ever. The office might be bigger than a living room now, but the mission is exactly the same: helping pets live the Awesome Happy Awesome Healthy Lives they deserve!
Happy 20th Anniversary, Weruva.
I'm proud to have been here for nearly every mile of the journey.
