Rooted in Chicago and Nepal, two pet food brands share a strategy with simple ingredients

Better-for-you pet food has broken out of its premium niche and is now an expectation for many pet owners, shifting the battleground to how few ingredients they can use while still delivering on taste and performance.

The global clean-label pet food market reached $980 million in 2025 and is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 8.8% through 2033, according to Data Insights Market.

“The increasing consumer demand for transparency and healthier ingredients for their pets is driving the market growth. Additionally, the rising prevalence of pet obesity and chronic health conditions has led pet owners to seek premium pet food options with clean and recognizable ingredients,” the report noted.

Nak Chews and Ava’s Pet Palace got the message and have tailored their pet treats to include only a handful of ingredients. The two companies, both of which exhibited at Natural Products Expo West, also are leaning in on the functional benefits of their products.

Clean label as a trust strategy

While seemingly different on paper, both independent pet food brands offer radically short ingredient lists, a strategy that aims to win consumer trust.

Nak Chews sources yak and cow milk from Himalayan farmers and manufactures its dog treats in Nepal. The company also distinguishes itself in a crowded market by using only four ingredients, according to Aryan Pathak, marketing manager at International Himalayan Pet Products.

“The best thing you can give them is something healthy, not filled with tens of thousands of ingredients,” he said, noting that Nak Chews contain four ingredients: yak milk, cow milk, lime juice and salt.

Ava Dorsey, the 18-year-old founder of Ava’s Pet Palace, takes a similar approach with her dog and cat treats. Dorsey, who runs the Chicago-based company with the help of her parents, put the company’s clean-label focus front and center during a recent interview.

“I started when I was 8 years old,” she said. “Now I’m 18, and I make organic, very limited-ingredient dog and cat treats.”

Dorsey’s website notes that the company’s pet treats contain “seven ingredients or fewer, and use organic and natural options whenever possible.”

Ava’s Pet Palace also explains on its product page that the treats are free of wheat, corn, soy, preservatives and artificial additives.

The company’s most popular product, freeze-dried Salmon Puffs, contains 96% wild salmon. The remainder is made of kale,flaxseed and tocopherols .

“It is making sure that our pets have treats with clean ingredients that people can recognize and know what they’re feeding their furry friends,” she said. “It’s so important that we are feeding our pets just as well as we’re feeding ourselves, using very clean ingredients.”

Limited ingredients, functional expectations

Nak Chews and Ava’s Pet Palace also touted the functional attributes of their products.

Ava’s website emphasizes that its simplified formulas “aid in easier digestion, especially for dogs with sensitive stomachs” and “support overall gastrointestinal health.”

In the 2023 release of its Turkey Poppers, Ava’s noted the product includes dietary fiber, making them “a pet’s secret weapon for a happy tummy.”

Similarly, Nak Chews’ Pathak explained the chews support oral health, a functional benefit the company also highlighted on social media.

Family is the origin story

Both companies also offer compelling origin stories as a marketing tool – centered on family and community.

Ava’s story dates back more than a decade when she started making healthy food for her pets at home. She said that working with her parents (her mom works full-time on the business these days) over the last decade has been an education for her.

“I’ve had a lot of years of practice just doing a lot of different shows and growing up with the brand. But it’s been a lot of learning, but a very fun time,” she said.

For Pathak, the business is about supporting farmers.

“We import from Nepal, from the Himalayas, so we have a unique story. Basically, we have families out in Nepal of the Himalayas that own cows, and a family may own one or two, so we’re supporting local families,” he said.