It’s not often that co-founders are cross-species, but in the case of Daniel Haarburger and his beloved dog, Milo, it took both man and man’s best friend to create what has since become the fastest-growing pet brand in the US.
Before Haarburger adopted Milo, he spent years inventing and licensing products for other companies. He first began doing so while pursuing his computer science degree and was successful enough to pay his way through college as a student.
As much as he loved receiving the royalty checks, Haarburger realized he didn’t like handing over all of his good ideas and wanted to fully manufacture and market one for himself.
Soon after Haarburger adopted Milo, his beloved puppy needed knee surgery and wasn’t able to walk for several months. As a half-husky, half-cattle dog mix, he also very much needed to be entertained, and Haarburger didn’t want to give him a calorically dense bone or a jar of peanut butter.
He started tinkering in his garage and eventually invented what his company, Woof, now calls The Pupsicle. This treat-dispensing toy can be refilled with homemade recipes, giving even the pickiest pup exactly what they like. Haarburger started using the vessel multiple times a day and realized this was the scalable product he’d been looking for.
The Pupsicle was not Haarburger’s first attempt at creating pet products. He’d been attempting to manufacture and sell leashes, collars, and harnesses, and his plan was to capitalize on baggie refills for repeat purchases. He kept running into production issues, as well as bottom-line issues, and it was becoming apparent that this idea wasn’t going to be profitable enough to work long-term. Even amidst all the issues, he knew he was on to something by focusing on solutions for his beloved Milo.
“There are few relationships as pure as the one with your dog,” says Haarburger. “You love me? I love you too!”
He knew he wasn’t alone in feeling this way about his buddy, especially here in Colorado. When he was at a trade show, he found the right partner to manufacture his product, and together they were able to make revisions and samples until the product was to both Haarburger and Milo’s liking.
It’s easy now, for the success of The Pupsicle and the company seems obvious, but there was a moment right as Haarburger was producing that first batch where it seemingly could’ve gone either way.
“If this works, great! I’ll keep on going, says Haarburger. “If it doesn’t, I probably won’t have a company in two months.”
They sold out of the first order in two weeks, and for several cycles, Haarburger dumped all the profits back into inventory until he was able to hire more people, including a partner with pet industry experience who has been able to turbocharge what they’re working on.
Today, Woof is over 50 people and is expanding into wellness products, specifically dental hygiene, for pets. According to Inc., it’s the fastest growing company in the Rocky Mountain Region and one of the fastest growing CPG companies in the country.
After years of tinkering alone, Haarburger relishes in being able to collaborate with his team and with other interesting people and brands. He still speaks very fondly of the days when he’d prove out ideas by gluing foam core together and wants every person interested in invention to know they don’t need a university research facility or all the right tools to get started. Most of his best work came from a sketchpad and the drive to solve real problems.
“Building a business is about solving a problem and problem and problem and problem…day in and day out," says Haarburger. “The upside? You make something really beautiful.”
To learn more about Woof and to pitch a collaboration with Haarburger and Milo, head to MyWoof.com.