Side by Side: New Store Open in Town, Shipping Everywhere

28 Jun Side by Side: New Store Open in Town, Shipping Everywhere

Kick-started by the Telluride Foundation‘s Telluride Venture Accelerator Program in 2016, Side by Side’s new line of frozen and freeze-dried food, treats, toppers and supplements is ready to ship to a location nearest you. Go to the website here, fill out Side by Side’s unique personal assessment, then place your order and start down the path of customized pet nutrition for the optimal health and wellness of your dog. 

However, if you are a local or visiting guest, feel free to stop by the Side by Side store anytime, 100 West Colorado Avenue (in the breezeway right behind High Pie), to meet Marney and talk about quality whole food nutrition for your dog.

Side by Side founder Marney Prince at the new store.

FOUNDER MARNEY PRINCE ON SIDE BY SIDE:

When I began my pet nutrition company in Telluride, CO, I had one focus: helping pets get healthier though better nutrition. Years later, that company has grown into Side by Side, which is now bringing the power of whole food nutrition to pets in Telluride and across the country. Our small-batch, holistic approach to pet food includes five product lines: Food Diets, Treats, Toppers, Broths and Supplements, all carefully crafted using only natural sources of protein, vitamins, minerals, fiber and herbs.

I believe in the power of whole food nutrition for one simple, overriding reason: because giving your pets better nutrition gives them a better life. The guiding principle of Side by Side is to honor our ingredients by presenting them in their natural form protected from breakdown. That is in contrast to mass-produced dog food, which processes out vital nutrients – and yes, even most so-called “healthy” and “organic” varieties.

Just like our bodies, our pet’s system is able to absorb nutrients in their rawest form. Side by Side recipes use the best natural sources of meats, veggies, fruit and whole grains, including whole food supplements that help support your pet’s overall health: turmeric, for example, helps decrease inflammation, protects liver from toxins and acts as a powerful antioxidant.

Some of the best ingredients in a human diet, like kale and bone broth, are great for our pets, too. One of our most frequently requested products is our “Wag, Not Drag” mini-bars, loaded with pumpkin and pumpkin seeds to support healthy digestion, which in turn promotes immune system health and is also a natural de-wormer.

Our food, supplements and treats are made in small batches, just like I did for years in my Colorado store prior to launching Side by Side. Now, however, we have a commercial kitchen manufacturing our recipes, run by a veterinarian certified in Western Veterinary Science and food formulation, as well as Eastern principals of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine and healing through food. That means instead of cooking all day, I get to do what I love most, which is spend time with our customers, both two-legged and four-legged.

Another thing that really excites me about my new company is our online pet assessment, a new tool inspired by the 1:1 consults I previously provided in my office or during video calls. Though I still see pets and their parents everyday in our Colorado Avenue store, this online tool connects me with those who can’t make the trip to Telluride. We ask simple questions based on your observation of your pet and use your responses to develop a personalized nutrition plan with recommendations curated to meet your pet’s individual health and wellness needs.

To all my friends and customers here in Telluride and across the USA, thank you for making my dream come to life. Thanks for standing by me as we tested new formulas and expanded our product offerings. Stop by and bring your furry friend to our new store to begin your pet assessment, or try some yummy samples at 100 W Colorado Avenue, Telluride, CO, (in the breezeway right behind High Pie), or visit us online at www.sidebysidepet.com.

MORE ABOUT SIDE BY SIDE:

“Longevity and health in animals are factors of genetics and nutritional balance,” explains Lisa Molloy Bane, DVM and Side by Side’s consulting veterinarian. “There is so much information out there about supplements and diets, and Marney has done an incredible job in researching and implementing nutritional science. Everyone’s pet will benefit from her recommendations. She is constantly striving to fine-tune diet recommendations and now, through Side by Side, she continues to strive to make nutrition part of an animal’s basic preventative health plan and therapeutic strategy. There is truth to the old adage ‘We are what we eat.’ Nutrition is a great piece of the therapeutic puzzle. As a veterinarian, I use diet and nutrition as a therapeutic tool. You should too.”

Side by Side’s consulting veterinarian Lisa Bane with Marney (at an event in Chicago).

For Marney Prince, loving animals has always been as natural and involuntary as breathing, an inborn affinity that may have preceded memory: the family cats slept in her crib when she was an infant.

Prince began bringing stray animals home not long after she could walk. By the time she was six, she was helping a rescue operation find families for stranded cats and dogs.

It is no big surprise, then, that following a wink at the arts, Prince went to school at age 27 to become a vet tech. After graduation, she found work in the field and loved the mix: medicine, emergencies, engaging with animals daily.

But one thing did not sit right.

“I felt like there was this big disconnect between pet medicine and pet food. The food was just terrible. I tried to find the best quality I could, but it was mostly kibble, dried, processed, drained of real nutritional value. There was wet food, but that was also highly processed. And not appropriate for dogs.”

So Prince left the industry and returned to school, this time to become an holistic animal food chef. And the more she learned about pet health, the integration of Western and Eastern medicine and the role of nutrition, the more she became convinced there was a better way to feed our pets.

Prince’s clear conviction inspired her to start preparing her own food, experimenting in her home kitchen and trying out recipes on her own pets and those of her friends.

She soon took on clients, working to understand their animals in an holistic sense, then creating individualize meals based on a big-picture array of needs. The results were remarkable: pets were regaining energy, moving better, improving from chronic conditions.

Marney Prince had clearly hit on something very special.

Today what began as a one-woman operation is now a streamlined manufacturing business in the growing pet health and wellness space – but one thing hasn’t changed: the focus on food-as-preventative-medicine using products in combination to provide a personalized nutrition plan.

The ethos is simple, Prince explains:

“Side by Side is based around cherishing our pets, helping them stay healthy and live long vibrant lives. Our dogs are, after all, our babies. Let’s feed them right.”

And ever since Marney’s serendipitous meeting with Carol Bramson, the dog-lover and venture capitalist who would become a partner in and CEO of the company, the future of Side by Side has been looking bright: manufacturing is streamlined; products and packaging are improved; and customers are singing in harmony about the happy results of the Side by Side change in diet in their pets.

Side by Side’s CEO Carol Bramson with founder/partner Marney Prince.

But that one thing still has not changed. In fact, the Big Idea has been shored up.

We repeat: Side by Side remains laser-focused on whole food, holistic recipes, basic meals and treats, that combine the best of modern Western nutrition practices with ancient, traditional Eastern food therapies, using the best protein sources, high quality herbs, vegetables, fruits, seeds, and unadulterated grains to create different formulations all carefully prepared to preserve whole food nutrition.

Prince’s story goes to show that following your bliss can strike a nerve.