Andrew's barking up the right tree

STARTING up your own business is a daunting prospect at any time but when you have to launch in the middle of a worldwide recession it poses even more risk.

But young entrepreneur Andrew Booth has not only seen his business flourish, it has exceeded all expectations - and he is still only 24 years old.

Andrew, who lives at Stradsett, near Downham Market, launched Green Dog food two years ago after realising there was a gap in the market.

'My dad had a pet shop for years and then became a wholesaler so I started working for him when I left school and I realised there was nothing totally natural on the market,' he said.

'A family friend was working on research into natural parasite control and so I asked him if I could use it in the food and we worked together on the technical and nutritional side of things and created a food which is unlike anything else in the market.'

Certified holistic by BAHNM (British Association of Holistic Nutrition and Medicine), it uses 100pc natural human grade raw materials, bio-active herbs, no waste products and no wheat or maize gluten.

Added with the natural parasite control Andrew believes he has a product that as closely resembles a dog's natural diet as possible and which can improve some of the most chronic ailments from arthritis to hyperactivity and allergies.

'As far as I know this is the only dog food in the world that is 100pc natural and has the parasitic control,' he said. 'I am now stocking 165 shops from Lincolnshire to Kent. In my first year I was aiming to turn over five or six tonnes a month but the following year I was getting another half a tonne every month.'

As a result Andrew is having to sell the pet shop in Swaffham which helped to kick-start his business. He hopes to move to a new warehouse in the Downham Market area in the near future to expand his stock and increase his customer base.

Andrew is also bringing out a cat food later in the year.