Pet smoothie business Furr Boost has landed a major injection of funds after making a successful appearance on BBC TV programme Dragons’ Den.
Husband and wife team Ian and Louise Toal from Much Wenlock in Shropshire secured a £50,000 investment for a 30% share of their company from fashion retail entrepreneur and investor Touker Suleyman after the show, which aired on Thursday March 28.
Furr Boost was created by Louise Toal, who for over 20 years was a technical manager to the food industry, after her beagle Phoebe became unwell. Her experiments with protein shakes to help flush out Phoebe’s system and to provide her with the hydration that she needed when she was refusing to drink enough water led to the creation of the Furr Boost range of smoothie drinks.
The couple were seeking investment to expand their business into more UK retail outlets, to export to more countries, and to launch a range for cats.
Each of the recipes in the range contains real meat, fruit and vegetable, along with added oils and vitamins to support the dog’s wellbeing in areas such as digestion, skin and coat, anxiety, metabolism and immunity. The drinks can be served straight from the carton, frozen as an icy treat or as a Furr Boost Puppaccino, which Louise Toal demonstrated to the Dragons during the filming.
She said: “It was pretty nerve-wracking having to present our business to the Dragons and they certainly put us through our paces, but we were delighted with the outcome.”
