DOGGY DAY CARE AND MEAL DELIVERIES FOR PETS TAKE OFF IN REGIONAL CENTRES KEEN TO EMBRACE CITY CONVENIENCES

A passion for pet nutrition and the increasing popularity of plan-based meal delivery services had central west NSW brothers Carl and Nigel Sandeman pricking up their ears for a business opportunity.

“We humans like the convenience of having our food delivered or half prepared for us,” Carl Sandeman explained.

“But there are a lot of dogs out there that people are now counting as family members.

“So we spotted a gap in the pet food market.”

Success in the country

Despite launching just weeks before the country was plunged into COVID-19 lockdown, the business enjoyed overnight success.

But the popularity of the boutique product in regional areas of Australia — a place where dogs are usually workers rather than pets — was especially remarkable for the brothers.

“We were a little bit surprised — our launch demographics were definitely focussed on metro Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane,” Mr Sandeman explained.

“But we got some incredible take up in country areas and regional areas, right through Australia — in New South Wales and Victoria especially.”

The Sandemans believe their online business model addressed historical access issues to niche products felt by regional customers.

But they also sensed that surging regional populations post pandemic were bringing different consumer habits with them.

“There’s a bit of a craze around Orange at the moment — for tourism and tree changing,” Mr Sandeman said.

Screaming out for city services

Danielle Haase is an Orange-based businesswoman who included future tree changers into her business plan.

“When I was exploring the idea and writing my business plan, I was very cognisant of the fact there was a massive tree change happening,” Ms Haase said.

“I was even one of the individuals who moved here from the city. There were people screaming out for city services.”

Her dog day care business is at capacity, as is the daily dog taxi service that collects and returns canine clients.

Her expansion into grooming and pet styling is similarly thriving.

The chai latte curtain

For Regional Institute of Australia’s chief economist Kim Houghton, the success of pet products in regional Australia points to national social drivers as much as migrating populations.

He uses the humble chai latte of the early 2000s as an example.

“You could see the chai latte curtain moving outwards from Balmain and Brunswick Street, across regional Australia,” Dr Houghton explained.

“There were times in which you couldn’t get a chai latte in a certain country town but go back two years later and you could.

Dr Houghton says his research indicated niche business ideas come from locals as much as tree changers and, for both, the challenge is introducing an entirely new concept to a community.

However, fortune increasingly favours the brave for those open to bringing a community along for the ride.

“I think there’s still a tendency for a somewhat pejorative time around our rural and regional markets,” Dr Houghton said.

“They are seen as being unsophisticated and old-fashioned. But those markets are changing and bringing new opportunities with them.”

Build it and they will come

While an influx of city slickers to Orange had given Ms Haase her original idea, she is confident locals will embrace it, once it is in front of them.

“When I first proposed the idea there were a lot of locals who didn’t quite understand what I was proposing,” she said.

“But since launching the business, I now have a ton of locals saying: ‘Wow, I just didn’t realize something like this could ever exist’.

“I’ve got a good split of new-to-Orange people but also plenty of locals as clients.

“They’re not just farmers out here.”