Long Island, NY (July 21, 2026) – Natural Hounds, the nation’s only fresh dog food franchise, today announced the launch of its new raw food line, available beginning August 1 both in-store at Natural Hounds locations and online at NaturalHounds.com. The expansion positions the brand as the only franchise opportunity in the fast-growing fresh dog food category while adding one of the industry’s fastest-growing product segments to its business model. With the introduction of raw food, Natural Hounds franchisees now benefit from six complementary revenue streams: fresh cooked meals, raw food, treats and supplements, memberships, local delivery, and sample packs. The new raw line is made fresh in the company’s own open kitchens, batch tested for safety, and AAFCO-certified—bringing a level of quality, transparency, and local production that warehouse-produced national brands simply can’t match.
It’s a category with rapidly increasing and loyal demand and almost no local, professionally produced supply. Raw-feeding pet owners are among the most committed customers in the pet food market, yet their options have been limited to warehouse brands trucked in from out of state or local butchers blending meat with no certification, no testing, and no standards. Natural Hounds closes that gap. After a decade of producing fresh meals in-house, the brand already has the suppliers, the kitchen, and the operational expertise to deliver quality and nutritious pet food at scale. Now, they are bringing those same standards and expertise to a category that has been waiting for it.
“Our customers have been asking us for raw pet food for years, and we’re the rare company that can actually deliver it the right way — same trusted ingredients, same suppliers, made fresh in the same open kitchen we run every day. There’s a massive gap in this market, and we’re built to own it. This is us setting the standard for what locally made, certified raw should be,” said Conor Wooley, co-founder, Natural Hounds.
The raw recipes are closely related to Natural Hounds’ established cooked meals and use the same trusted suppliers. The formulation is refined from ten years of producing fresh food and tailored to exactly what raw-feeding customers look for. Like the cooked line, every raw recipe is complete and balanced to AAFCO standards, so customers know the food meets nutritional guidelines and provides all essential nutrients for a healthy diet.
Natural Hounds sends every production batch out for testing before it reaches a single customer, screening for bacterial contamination. Paired with AAFCO-certified complete-and-balanced formulations, it gives raw-curious owners the confidence to make the switch — and gives the brand a credibility advantage that warehouse and butcher-counter raw simply can’t match.
Most raw food ships in chubs — the ground-sausage-style tubes owners find frustrating to open and store. Natural Hounds packages its raw line in the same resealable 1- and 2-pound containers as its cooked meals, a small detail that solves a daily pain point for every raw feeder.
Furthermore, the raw line matches the price of Natural Hounds’ cooked meals and comes in below comparable competitors on a per-30-pound basis — an advantage made possible by producing in-house rather than paying for third-party warehouse manufacturing. It’s a premium product at a structurally lower cost, a position few in the category can hold.
To drive trial and adoption from day one, Natural Hounds is offering:
- Free sample packs for anyone interested in trying the raw line
- Price matching for customers who have bulk pricing from another raw company
- 50% off the first box
The full raw food line is available now at shop.naturalhounds.com/collections/raw-food.
The raw launch underscores what makes Natural Hounds a standout in the fresh pet food space: a lean, brick-and-mortar model that produces premium, certified product in-house and locally — capturing demand that direct-to-consumer and warehouse brands can’t serve the same way. It’s a differentiated concept entering a high-growth category that has yet to crown a national leader.
To learn more about franchising opportunities, visit www.ownanaturalhounds.com.
About Natural Hounds
Natural Hounds is transforming pet nutrition as America’s first fresh, all-natural dog food kitchen franchise. Frustrated by the substandard options in the pet food industry—marked by recalls, by-products, low-quality ingredients, and questionable manufacturing practices—we took matters into our own hands. Setting a new standard for pet nutrition, we produce human-grade dog food, treats, and chews, all crafted in our open-concept storefronts. Established in 2018 at the Port Jefferson Farmer’s Market on Long Island, we began with a simple mission: to provide a trustworthy, all-natural alternative for dog owners. Today, Natural Hounds has grown into a community cornerstone, offering a centralized hub for all canine nutritional needs. Our commitment to honesty, quality, and value is what sets us apart—no other brand does it like Natural Hounds.
About Fransmart
As the leading franchise development firm in the country, Fransmart turns emerging restaurant concepts into successful national and global brands. Founded by Dan Rowe, the man who identified and grew brands such as Five Guys Burgers & Fries and QDOBA Mexican Grill from single unit businesses to the powerhouse chains they are today. Fransmart’s current and past franchise development portfolio brands have opened more than 5,000 restaurants worldwide. For more information, visit www.fransmart.com.