‘Fresh is Better’: GAMMA2’s Airtight Storage Products

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Pet Age recently caught up with Jamaica Winship, vice president of business development for GAMMA2, to learn more about the company’s airtight storage containers.

Q Can you define the GAMMA2 product line and what sets your company apart from the competition?
A GAMMA2 is primarily known for three product families: the Vittles Vault, the Skamper-Ramp and the GAMMA Seal Lid. Our first product was the GAMMA Seal Lid, and it was designed for use in the medical industry as a way to store sensitive materials in an airtight and leakproof environment. It wasn’t long before we recognized how the GAMMA Seal Lid could also help people keep their pet food fresh. As pet parents, we had observed that pet food left in the bag had a tendency to lose its crunch. We came up with the idea to use the GAMMA Seal Lid on a food grade bucket to create a pet food container that would not only keep pet food fresh, but that would also lock out pests and prevent dogs, cats and other pets from getting into their bags of food and eating the entire contents. For any pet parent who has experienced that mishap, you know how scary and potentially life threatening that can be! The GAMMA Seal Lid-and-bucket combo soon evolved into the creation of the Vittles Vault, and the Vittles Vault has been our company’s focus for more than 25 years.

Our singular focus on pet food storage is what really sets us apart from the competition. We live, breathe and sleep pet food storage. Our entire team is passionate about this, and it shows in our quality.

Q Your company has a motto, “fresh is better.” Can you explain this saying?
A Since humans don’t actually eat pet food, it can be tough for us as pet parents to know if our pet’s food is actually fresh. To add to the challenge, every pet is different, and we might not know for certain if our pet’s food has gone stale or become rancid. The idea of “fresh is better” approaches the concept of food quality from both taste and nutrition. There are countless studies pointing out that air and light degrade the nutritional value of food. Many of our containers are opaque, so light can’t get in. And all of our containers are airtight.

Q How would you describe your company’s relationship with independent retailers?
A We are diligent about supporting our independent retailers, and we have launched several initiatives to give them more exposure, with even more resources allocated for later this year and in 2018. In the past year, we’ve really grown our social media accounts, and we’re quickly gaining momentum. We use social media to communicate our brand’s point of view and build awareness so that we can better promote our independent retailers. If one of our retailers is hosting an event or running any kind of special, we are always open to sharing it on our channels and putting ad spend behind it. We look forward to doing that on a more regular basis as more of our independent retailers learn about these initiatives. We recently did a pilot program with Centinela Feed where we sponsored a gift card giveaway and provided their stores with postcards to distribute to their customers. That was quite successful, and we plan to roll that out with other retailers this year.

Q Can you tell us what distributors mean to GAMMA2?
A Our distributors are valuable partners. They’ve given us reach that we could never have gotten on our own. Recently, I’ve been able to attend several distributor open houses with the sales team, and I’ve been so impressed with how well our distributors know our product line and our point of view. They understand the value of our brand, and they really work with retailers to help them stock a full and optimized product assortment. As our product line has expanded, we’ve significantly stepped up the support we give our distributors with timely promotions, new product releases, training and insights into customer data. This has been very beneficial to us and to our distributors, as our products are now getting into more and more retailers.

Q What are some products that GAMMA2 currently has in the works?
A Every year we try to release something new. We are about to release a new product at the end of the summer called the Wall-Mount. This container mounts on the wall, so it’s ideal for garages and utility rooms, where people want things organized and off the floor. And we are getting very close to releasing the Vittles Vault Tower. The Tower is a container that can be stacked up to eight units high. This type of container appeals to shelters, vet clinics, kennels and multi-pet households. It also makes a stunning retail display.