Pet Business Evolution: Search for Cat Food Leads to Creation of Salty Cat, Ella’s Best

Allison Albert Ward is the founder of Pet Krewe, a Louisiana-based company that specialized in pet costumes and toys. Pet Age recently spoke with Ward to learn how the company has evolved into two pet nutrition companies, Salty Cat and Ella’s Best. 

What is the origin story of Salty Cat and Ella’s Best?
It started with a frustrating trip down the cat food aisle. I was picking up food for my cat, Mo, and I couldn’t find a single brand using real ingredients at prices most cat owners could actually afford. The value options were full of filler, while premium products had quietly become a DTC luxury product. That gap felt wrong to me, so instead of waiting for someone else to fix it, I decided to build the brand I couldn’t find.

We launched Salty Cat in 2022 and reached $10 million in revenue without spending a dollar on marketing, which told us everything we needed to know about whether the idea resonated. Ella’s Best came from the same place: simple, nutrient-powered recipes for dogs at prices that don’t require a second thought at checkout.

What do you think of macroeconomics and how it’s impacting consumers in 2026?
Americans are under real financial pressure right now, and you’re seeing that play out in pet food the same way you’re seeing it everywhere else. People are trading down, making harder choices, and paying close attention to where every dollar goes. What that means for us is that the timing has never felt more right for what we’re building. Salty Cat was designed from the beginning for the consumer who views their pets as family and wants to feed them quality nutrition without breaking the bank. However, we’ve never wanted to be the brand that people settle for. We want to be the brand they’re genuinely glad to buy.

We take pride in being a brand that has personality, that’s authentic and transparent, and gives consumers something to connect with beyond just the price point. Good value and a brand worth caring about shouldn’t be mutually exclusive, and we think that’s exactly what people are looking for right now.

How would you describe Pet Krewe’s relationship with its retail partners?

We work tirelessly to be a brand that’s easy to believe in. Scaling the business so quickly with such a small team that cares deeply about their work and the ethos behind it changes how retail conversations go. We’re proud to be one of the fastest-growing value cat food brands on the market right now, and we view it as an ongoing responsibility, not just a milestone.

Retailers make a bet when they give you shelf space, and we’re very aware of that. We show up with products that perform, price points that work for their shoppers, and a brand built for the next generation of pet owners who discover products on social media before they ever see them in a store. That combination matters to our partners, and it’s something we’re committed to continuing to deliver on.

What can the pet industry expect from Pet Krewe later this year?

We’re focused on taking our e-commerce to the next level and continuing to grow our retail presence, because there’s still a lot of runway ahead of us. We also have new products in development that we’re really excited about, though we’re keeping those a surprise right now. We plan to keep skyrocketing our growth while maintaining a close connection with our customers (and their pets!).