From Pet Gear to Digestive Health, Boss Nation Brands Has It Covered

Listen to this article

Boss Nation Brands is a leading provider of high-quality pet products, dedicated to enhancing the health and well-being of pets. With a focus on digestive health, Boss Nation offers a range of innovative products made from premium ingredients and backed by scientific research. Pet Age recently spoke with Vasili Nassar, Boss Nation founder and CEO, to learn what inspires him and the wide array of pet products.

What’s been the key to your growth since launching Boss Dog Brand Frozen Yogurt Treats in 2018?

Consistency, to say the least.  Our team places great emphasis on being consistent with product formulation, along with delivering our strong digestive health message (amongst all segments). We have an exceptional group of individuals who understand the importance of persistence, along with quality interactions involving our retailers.

Furthermore, we have found ways to create more utility for our pet specialty retailers by creating hybrid (multi-pet) solutions for their store. For example, Boss Dog Greek Frozen yogurt treats, along with our other treats and supplements are good for both dog and cat. Our VP of sales, Henry Lam, has done an exceptional job creating simple to remember bullet points with regards to the products. Our message is consistent among all of our core items.

• First transition to raw
• Protein first
• Infused with Probiotics

Why do you consider Boss Nation to be a front runner in the pet category of digestive health?

Our digestive focus coupled with our know-how, makes us the front runner in digestive health solutions for pets. It’s about both the quality and the quantity of our probiotics. Other brands simply add one sachet of probiotics, versus adding a sufficient amount of the correct probiotics to survive processing control steps (HPP, Freeze-drying, etc.), temperature fluctuation, hot-spotting and shelf-life decay. We take pride in infusing all of our pet consumables with abundant and sustainable levels of live and active cultures. As the pet industry becomes more “premium”, and consumers understand better the benefits that probiotics bring, both Boss Dog and Boss Cat are well positioned to be industry leaders, and set the pace for premium digestive health solutions

Why should your foods be the first choice for meal transition from kibble to raw? 

It’s well-known that switching your pet from conventional kibble to a more balanced raw diet should happen gradually, over time.  Upon occasion, it’s common for your pet to display some sensitivities to the transition to raw pet food. Both Boss Dog and Boss Cat offer an “easier” transition to raw than other foods due to the digestive component that our meals, treats, and supplements deliver. In addition, one of the other challenges to switching foods is your pet’s sensitivity to change. We offer a complete line of treats, and supplements not limited to raw goat milk, tripe treats, and limited ingredient meatballs that act as a great meal stimulant or topper for your pet while on their journey to eating raw meals.

What inspired you to launch your premium pet gear in 2020?

Boss Dog Tactical pet gear was created out of necessity, as with our consumable items to aid and support the needs of our own pets. My 170-pound Rhodesian Ridgeback, Kelby inspired me to “finally” innovate an ultra-premium pet gear line for medium to extra large dogs.  There is plenty of low cost nylon on the market, and we didn’t think that another “me too” concept would do the pet industry any real value. Zinc-alloy Clips, stainless steel D-rings, high tensile nylon, neoprene inner liner, traffic handle, and more make up the quality behind Boss Dog Tactical Pet Gear. Collars, leashes, harnesses and accessories and more!

What can the pet industry expect from Boss Nation in 2024?

Boss Nation, consisting of Boss Dog and Boss Cat brand pillars make up the majority of our business mix. Look for extensions within our core segments, along with new innovative treats and supplements for Dog, Cat and maybe Bird? Our main-focus always has been and will be placing emphasis on positioning our pet specialty retailers to maximize sales, profitability and special events activities for their patrons. We continue to push the envelope, finding new ways to empower the pet specialty retailer with more product knowledge tools, thereby giving the consumer the experience that they deserve. Treat your pet, like a boss!

How is Boss Dog Brand preparing for major trade shows for this year and next  to ensure you make the most of your investment in this networking opportunity?   

Getting the most out of trade shows is what we strive to do. It’s simply not a worthwhile proposition to exhibit, without making a positive connection. To be clear, it’s more than making the sale, it’s about taking the time to work with our retailers to find ways to make both the retailer and our brands mutually successful. In an effort to not sound cliche, let me be more specific. Challenging our team regularly to make a “genuine” connection with our supporters, is what we’re about.

For example, we recognized a retailer that went out of their way to make our raw goat milk a house-hold name at their store. In less than a month, said retailer sold over 100 cases of our raw goat milk, making for an exceptional sales month for all! In exchange for their support, we collaborated with their team, and put a mariachi band and pastry table in front of their store for the day. Simply, we do things differently. We call it “Boss, over the top!”