Product design · Brand · Sourcing · Launch
Fifteen years of pet product design and sourcing you can trust.
Selected work
Beds, collars, leads, bowls, supplements, eyewear, packaging, and everything in between. These are all real products that have been brought to market. Click anything to open it.
“They didn’t just design something that looked good; they helped us avoid costly mistakes, sourced the right partners, and made sure everything was production-ready.”
Our approach
It all starts with design.
Design with the attributes that win in the marketplace.
Design for manufacturing speeds up development and eliminates cost.
We work for you, not the factories.
Work with trusted supply chain partners we already have established business with.
“I wouldn’t have thought to add this adjustable strap. My patent wouldn’t have been protected. That right there was worth every penny.”
What we do
Concepts drawn against a real manufacturing method and a real landed cost. Tech packs, materials, samples.
Positioning, naming, mark, palette, type, packaging, and voice. Built alongside the product, not after it.
Factory selection and vetting, costing, minimums, tooling, and QC standards that survive reorder three.
Pricing, packaging, channel, and sell-in. A product with no buyer waiting is just inventory.
“They led me through every step, from design, to branding to sourcing a reliable manufacturer.”
Three kinds of clients
The safest and most cost effective on ramp to the pet industry. A small number of clients at a time, with the same output: excellence.
An idea and no idea what it costs to make. We settle that before anyone commits to tooling.
A category extension, a line that finally holds margin, or a product fixed before the next reorder.
Custom pet programs designed to your brand standard and costed to hold at rollout scale.
The Art of Pet Hospitality ›Investor work runs separately, usually product diligence on a target or a line review inside a portfolio company. Get in touch if that is the conversation.
Programs
Hospitality, outdoor, veterinary, and premium retail.
A bed line engineered to carry the same durability promise as the crates that made their name.
Over $5M in program revenue
A bolster bed program for Wayfair’s Tucker Murphy Pet label.
Private label line for Wayfair
A collar and leash system built around its hardware. Branded quick-release buckle, locking carabiner, and coated webbing.
Collar, leash, and hardware line
Minnesota made walking gear. Collars, harnesses, and a hands-free leash that clips at the waist, designed as one coordinated line.
Collar, harness, and leash line
Tactically tough gear for dogs. Made in the USA and built durable for tough dogs.
Tactical harness and gear line
A dog bed designed from recycled ocean material. More than comfort, it uses recycled material to help our oceans.
Recycled ocean material bed
A full pet suite drawn to an existing interior language. Dinette-fit travel bed, hard-shell case bed, collars, leads, bowls.
Category entry, full accessory line
The first brand to cross human sleep science into pets. Layered orthopedic foam engineered for arthritic dogs.
Founded and built · 2× World Branding Award
Luxury dog beds built to sit in the room as furniture rather than as pet gear. Upholstery, frame, and cushion designed as one piece.
Line designed and produced
Crystal pendants for cats. Natural stone on genuine leather with a magnetic breakaway that releases if it catches, light enough for indoor cats that refuse a collar.
Five-stone line, designed and launched
A bed and crate mat line built as tough as the kennels it goes into. Same durability standard, sized to their crate line.
Bed line designed and produced
Bedding engineered around a PEMF therapy device, so treatment happened while the dog rested.
Brand later acquired by Zomedica
A New York brand with a strong point of view and no supply chain. I built both.
Distinct product line from day one
Bedding cut to the exact interior of a crash-tested aluminum crate, then widened into magnetic-closure collars and a tactical leash system.
Bedding, collars, and leash line
Reflective collars for dogs that work hard. Side-release hardware and high-visibility webbing built to survive water, dirt, and daily use.
Line designed and produced
One of the longest-running names in working and service dog gear. I bought it, rebuilt the assortment and the supply chain around products that earned their shelf space, and sold it.
Acquired, rebuilt, exited
Acquired a brand with a single product line, then created, sourced, and scaled a full family of products and took them omnichannel.
Acquired, rebuilt, sold
Frames, cases, and luggage design. A different category, same discipline: how do we stand out in the marketplace and win?
Full line and packaging
About
Fifteen years ago I could not find a dog bed that did anything for an aging dog, so I built one. It worked because the product was engineered rather than styled.
Since then I have founded, built, and sold pet companies, drawn hundreds of products, run domestic manufacturing, and managed overseas factory networks. I have sat across from Chewy, national retail buyers, and hotel procurement teams, and sold my own products on live TV. I have also built and run the ecommerce side: one of the first online pet stores, DTC brands, Amazon, Chewy, and subscription programs. Every product we design is built to sell online as well as on a shelf.
Associate Designers
Ericka is a seasoned pet industry leader with over 20 years of experience spanning product development, growth strategy, and business development. She brings a rare blend of corporate CPG expertise and nonprofit leadership, and has helped many respected national pet brands bring products to market.
Jamie is a multi-passionate pet product designer, pet industry expert, educator, and entrepreneur with more than 15 years of experience. Her product design work focuses on tools that help dog trainers stay organized and help dog owners connect and communicate with their dogs.
Shannon is an alumna of the Savannah College of Art and Design. Her product development and sourcing expertise spans fashion, pet, hard and soft goods, and supplements. She brings a different perspective to the design team and valuable insight that reads between the lines.
Working together
Defined deliverables and a clear end point. The fractional lead runs as a 90 day engagement.
One product, from concept to production ready.
A brand built to sell the product.
Your whole line, led by us.
Ninety days of a product lead inside your business: design direction, factory calls, costing, and the commercial decisions, brand and launch included.
“They helped to guide us through the process, set us up with a supplier, and build a scalable tech pack for our product to produce it in bulk.”
Start a project
The first conversation is free and useful either way. If it is a fit I will send a scope and a price. If it is not, I will tell you and point you somewhere better.
Or reach me directly
trevor@trevorcrotts.com