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Steve's Real Food for Pets is a frozen raw diet for dogs and cats made from 100% human quality, unprocessed, fresh, ingredients. They were the first raw food diet sold in the USA and are the number one selling raw diet. Steve’s Real Food is a product of Steve’s Real Food in Murray, Utah. Founded by Steve Brown, creator of the Charlee Bear treat and author of See Spot Live Longer and Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet, Steve’s has been a pioneer in raw dog food manufacturing. Green Acres started selling Steve’s in 2002 and Green Acres owners Don and Paula Hanson have been including it in their pets’ diets ever since. They credit the quality nutrition provided by Steve’s as a major factor in their Golden Retriever Tikken’s long life of 16 years. Since 2002 Steve’s has been under the direction of CEO Gary Bursell. His long experience in the pet food industry has made him a key player in ensuring that the Steve’s product line is the highest quality product with all natural, wholesome ingredients. Nicole Lindsley is Steve’s Vice President and a key player in marketing Steve’s. She has been the driving force behind Steve’s commitment to environmental responsibility. That includes lowering the carbon footprint of their plant, sourcing wholesome, natural and sustainable ingredients locally, a company-wide internal recycling program, and changing Steve’s packaging to a new compostable bag. Ron Haws is Steve’s Manufacturing Manager and is responsible for ensuring that every batch of Steve’s meets its quality standards and is a safe, fresh product. We have had the pleasure of meeting Steve, Gary and Nicole in person and all three have been guests on our radio show, The Woof Meow Show (see below for podcasts of their episodes). Spending time with them has demonstrated to us that they are truly committed to providing the best quality nutrition for pets. In October of 2013 I had the opportunity to meet Ron and tour the plant where Steve’s is made in Oregon. Like the others in this company, Ron is passionate about what he does and committed to quality.
Don’s Visit to the Steve’s Plant The plant where Steve’s Real Food is manufactured is in an idyllic setting surrounded by green, most of it from farms growing grass for sod or seed. The raw materials for Steve’s comes in by truck and is immediately stored in an enormous freezer kept at -3 degrees Fahrenheit. The massive blowers inside make it feel even colder due to the wind chill – brrrrrrr, especially when you’re not wearing a coat. All materials remain in this freezer until it’s time to make a batch of food. When this occurs the food is unpacked and placed into a giant grinder/mixer. The morning of my visit they were grinding chicken and the associated fruits and vegetables for Steve’s chicken product. The well mixed, ground product comes out of the mixer at 29 degrees and then goes into one of two machines; a device that extrudes the innovative nuggets first offered by Steve’s or a more conventional burger or patty. The formed product then goes into a special freezer where it moves up a spiral conveyer where it is flash frozen and is then ready for packaging. My key take homes from my visit to Steve’s – they are committed to quality, the raw materials are as fresh as you can get, and the food is processed in an incredibly safe and cold (that’s why it’s so safe!) environment.
If you watch any television, you know that many pet food companies market their product aggressively. That marketing is very expensive. You won’t see an extensive and expensive marketing campaign for Steve’s because they would rather spend that money on the ingredients that go into the food you will feed your pet. Plus, they continually receive great word-of-mouth advertising straight from their customers. They want you to see the value of Steve’s Real Food in each bag and tell your friends and family. This has worked for them for years and will continue to be their primary focus. We know it works because it’s also what we do at Green Acres!
Why we like this food
Frequent Buyer Program Green Acres Kennel Shop is pleased to be able to offer a frequent buyer program for all Steve’s Real Food products. After purchasing 12 items, you will get the 13th for free. The item you get free will be the least expensive of the items recorded on the card.
Company Contact Information Toll Free: 801-784-8dog (8364) Website: http://www.stevesrealfood.com
Links to Educational Podcasts Feeding Your Pet A Raw Diet with Gary Bursell of Steve's Real Food for Pets - <click to listen> Feeding Your Pet A Raw Diet with Nicole Lindsley of Steve's Real Food for Pets - <click to listen> Pet Food Myths - part 1- <click to listen> Pet Food Myths - part 2- <click to listen> Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet with Steve Brown - part 1- <click to listen> Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet with Steve Brown - part 2- <click to listen> Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet with Steve Brown - part 3- <click to listen>
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convenient for your situation. In our experience people with many different sized dogs or small dogs prefer the nuggets, while those with larger dogs or dogs that are fed similar amounts may prefer the patties.