Pet Case Study
From Produce to Pet Food: Finding Smallbatch Pet's VP of Operations
Smallbatch Pet is a leading pet product brand founded in 2005 that produces high-quality, raw pet food using locally sourced, sustainable ingredients. They focus on humanely raised meats, organic produce, and no synthetic vitamins or fillers, offering freeze-dried, frozen raw, and lightly cooked meals for dogs and cats.
Challenge
Smallbatch Pet needed to replace a VP of Operations to keep up with the changing industry demands and rapid growth. An interim consultant was bridging the gap, but the company needed a permanent, senior operator with the depth to step in and lead.
The role was complex and the stakes were high: the incoming leader would own a complex cold chain supply chain spanning co-manufacturers and 3PL partners across four states, six direct reports, and a product line sold across the United States and internationally in Canada and Southeast Asia.
Role Scope
Solution
ForceBrands has spent two decades building a network inside consumer brands developing real relationships with operators across food, beverage, and adjacent categories. When Smallbatch Pets brought us in, that network was our first call, not a last resort.
Rather than launching a broad search, our team worked the existing talent community: reviewing operators already known to us, consulting colleagues across the practice, and using targeted outreach to surface candidates with both the technical depth and the right kind of industry adjacency.
We weren't looking for a pet food résumé. We were looking for the right infrastructure experience: cold chain, perishables, multi-site logistics, complexity at scale.
The final placement came entirely from within our existing network. No new sourcing required.
The Placement
With our deep specialization within the consumer brand ecosystem, we unlocked an unconventional candidate who, on paper, was not a traditional fit, having never worked in pet food. Yet, their extensive background in fresh and chilled food supply chains ultimately made them a stronger, more successful operational match than a traditional industry hire.
Their background in fresh and chilled produce supply chains, is an environment that demands the same temperature-controlled warehousing, refrigerated logistics, and handling protocols that Smallbatch's frozen raw product line requires. The operational complexity translated directly. Additionally, personal ownership of dogs added genuine brand affinity that couldn’t be manufactured.
This is the kind of placement that only happens when a search firm knows its network deeply enough to see past the obvious and recognize the real fit and has the client relationship to make the case for it.