In 2006, Joe and I returned to Ontario, where we were both born and raised, after living in the US for five years. Caledon seemed like the perfect place to raise our young family. Within the year, a unique business opportunity fell into our laps and the decision was made to purchase a small dog treat company. Joe embodied the entrepreneurial spirit while I, a former teacher and stay at home mother of four, went along for the ride. After researching the pet treat category further, we quickly realized there were not many Canadian companies making single ingredient dog treats. The brand we would establish would specialize in high quality, natural dog treats made from minimal ingredients, sourced only within Canada or the United States. Within the month, The Crump Group was incorporated and the Crumps’ Naturals brand was born.
Outfitted with a 20’ cube van truck, a commercial oven, refrigerator and meat slicer, we began production in our garage. While Joe busied himself with sales calls by day, and a full time job by night, I sliced, baked and packaged liver while managing a busy household. Before long, the orders grew and a few friends were hired to help.
For the next five years, Joe and I would attend countless consumer, distributor and trade shows in an effort to establish the Crumps’ Naturals brand in both Canada and the United States. During this time, an addition was made to the garage, a few more ovens added and new products were developed.
By 2010 we outgrew our humble beginnings and moved to a 6,000 square foot commercial space. It seemed like such a large space at the time and we knew our business had to grow quickly to ensure we could afford this additional overhead. Grow we did. It wasn't long before Joe was able to forget about a second job and focus entirely on our business. With an expanding product assortment, new packaging (replacing our old generic bags and labels) and lots of travel, our distribution expanded throughout North America and consumer awareness for our products grew.It wasn't long before our 6000 square foot facility had storage containers parked all around it and we were bursting at the seams.
In May of 2013 we upgraded again and moved to a fully customized 15,000 sq. foot food facility in Brampton, Ontario where our main office is still located today. With the goal of obtaining Global Food Safety Certification (GFSI), the facility was completely renovated to accommodate and support a rigorous food safety program. In February of 2014, Crumps' Naturals became a GFSI certified facility for making safe, quality dog treats and has consistently scored over 90% on annual audits since.
Since our move to Brampton the company has continued to expand in both assortment and volumes. With over 65 dedicated team members and 60,000 sq. feet of kitchen and office space we like to think that our little company is well positioned for the future. Part of our most recent expansion is preparing for an exciting food launch to be introduced in August, 2017. We hope our customers will be as excited as we are!
A lot has changed since our modest start in our Caledon, Ontario garage, but a great deal has remained the same. Joe and I are still at the helm and are completely involved in the day to day as well as responsible for steering the ship in, what we hope is, the right direction. We believe that the sense of family instilled in every member of our team and the dedication to quality that brought us to where we are today is what will provide a solid foundation for years to come. Crumps' Naturals will continue to create new products that are unique, natural and healthy. We look forward to what the future brings.
