Wild Earth

Wild Earth is a direct-to-consumer pet food company selling vegan, plant-based nutrition for dogs and cats. Its core products are two dry dog foods — the Performance Formula (from $29.99, sold in bags up to 18 lb) and the Maintenance Formula (from $24.99, including a 28 lb "Classic Roast" bag) — alongside Unicorn Pate cat food (case of 24 cans, listed at $60 on sale from $70) and a three-pack of Superfood Dog Treats with Koji ($30). The company states that its formulas are complete and balanced and meet or exceed AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for Maintenance, and markets them as vet-developed, hypoallergenic, cruelty-free and made in the USA.

The technical premise of the company is the substitution of animal meat with fungal and yeast-derived proteins. According to a company-published founder interview, Wild Earth uses koji (a fungus traditionally used in Japanese foods such as soy sauce and miso) together with yeast proteins to produce nutritionally complete, highly digestible pet food, developed in collaboration with veterinary scientists, food technologists and pet nutrition experts. The company frames the approach as both a health proposition (avoiding common animal-protein allergens, hormones and antibiotics) and an environmental one, citing research attributing up to 30% of the environmental impact of U.S. meat production to pet food.

Wild Earth operates primarily as an online subscription retailer. Its site aggregates customer survey data and testimonials as evidence of product efficacy and runs recurring promotional campaigns and giveaways. Note that wildearth.org is a separate, unrelated 501(c)(3) outdoor-education nonprofit in High Falls, New York, and is not part of this profile.

Founding story

Founder Ryan Bethencourt came from a biotechnology background spanning synthetic biology and cultivated meat, and as a dog owner and environmentalist began questioning the ethics and environmental cost of conventional meat-based pet food. Company materials describe him asking whether pet food could be made better for both pets and the planet, and note that the venture required overcoming skepticism that dogs could thrive without meat, as well as difficulty raising capital and shifting consumer perceptions.

Business model

Wild Earth sells branded plant-based pet food directly to consumers through its own e-commerce site, offering both one-time purchases and recurring subscription plans with discounts (e.g., 20% off a first subscription order) and free shipping promotions. Customers can pause, edit, delay or cancel subscription plans at any time, and the site includes a meal-plan/formula selection tool to match products to individual dogs.

Revenue comes from product sales of pet food and treats, both as one-off purchases and as recurring subscription plans priced from $24.99 (Maintenance Formula) and $29.99 (Performance Formula), with the highest listed dog food price at $125.00.

Traction

Self-reported figures on the company's site include over 50,000 customers and more than 5,000 five-star reviews. A company survey of 1,368 responses over six months reported that 86% of dogs showed health improvements, 92% preferred the taste over other dog food, 43% had reduced itching and scratching, 40% had improved breath and odor, and over 50% had improved skin and coat condition. No independent financial or unit-sales data is present in the sources.

Latest developments

As of the company's most recent published materials (a founder interview last updated August 2025), Wild Earth said it was exploring new plant-based formulations, expanding product lines, considering further plant-based cat food, evaluating cellular agriculture as an additional protein source, and pursuing partnerships supporting regenerative agriculture. The active storefront lists ongoing promotions, a subscription program, and a current catalog of two dog kibbles, a canned cat food and koji dog treats.