Grandma Lucy’s – LIFE WITH DOGS

Grandma
Lucy’s follows strict guidelines to ensure high ingredient quality. They
purchase human-grade ingredients from suppliers that also sell to restaurants.
According to its website, the brand uses
87% of domestically grown ingredients.

Outsourced ingredients come from New Zealand and
Australia. They buy their ingredients in
small batches for premium freshness and to ensure that the ingredients meet their strict guidelines:

• Human-grade quality
• Chemical and preservative free
• Non-GMO
• From a country that follows strict
  safety guidelines
• Free from E.coli, mercury,
  salmonella, lead, arsenic, coliform, and melamine

Grandma
Lucy’s follows Standard Operating Procedures to make certain the ingredients are properly stored and processed. The most
commonly used ingredients in Grandma
Lucy’s products are:

• Sweet potatoes
• Potatoes
• Pinto beans
• Lentils
• Quinoa
• Carrots
• Apples
• Oats
• Bananas
• Peaches
• Chickpeas
• Rice
• Celery
• Spinach
• Kale
• Blueberries 
• Flaxseed
• Garlic
• And more

What about
their meat? Grandma Lucy’s only uses lean, muscle meat and the majority of
their meat comes from the United States. They use goat, venison, lamb, chicken,
beef, pork, bison, rabbit, turkey, pollock, salmon, and mahi-mahi. The company
ensures its customers that the meat and
poultry they buy are humanely raised and
treated. Their goat and lamb are pasture raised while their rabbit, venison,
and chicken are farm raised. All their meat is GMO-free,
contain no by-products, are all natural, and have no preservatives. All of
their fish is wild caught as well. 

The Cooking Process

Grandma
Lucy’s is vocal about what, where, and how their food is processed and cooked.
The raw ingredients are received and processed in their Rancho Santa Margarita,
California facility. The ingredients are
cut up and prepared by skilled staff members. They then freeze dry their
ingredients to remove up to 92% of water in the ingredients.
The company does not use other drying methods such as dehydration or air
drying. Freeze drying keeps the quality of the ingredients
while making it compact and lightweight.

The staff
measures, sorts, and inspects the ingredients by hand for the blending process.
The ingredients are then placed into the facility’s custom tumblers. They mix the
whole ingredient evenly without breaking
the pieces. Once the ingredients are evenly blended the food is packaged into
airtight bags for premium quality and freshness.

Before the
food is shipped it out it will go through another round of inspections for
salmonella, E.coli, and other strains of bacteria. The double testing process allows Grandma Lucy’s to positively ensure their products meet all safety
requirements.

Sampling the Product

Pet owners
are not strangers to buying a product and having their pet turning their nose
up at it. Thankfully, some of Grandma Lucy’s products come in a sample size for
$1.00. Customers can choose up to eight samples per formula/protein. Choices
include:

• Artisan Chicken
• Artisan Lamb
• Artisan Venison
• Artisan Pork
• Artisan Pre-Mix
• Artisan Cat Food
• Pureformance Chicken
• Pureformance Fish
• Pureformance Rabbit
• Pureformance Lamb
• Pureformance Goat
• Pureformance Pre-Mix
• Macanna Salmon
• Macanna Beef
• Macanna Pre-Mix

This allows new
customers to test out the formula and flavors on their pets without the
commitment.

Sizes and Pricing

Grandma
Lucy’s offers several sizes for their dog
and cat food. The sizing options will vary depending on the type of food and
flavor. They may offer one pound food
bags, three pound food bags, eight pound food bags, and ten pound food bags. A
one pound bag will make up to five pounds of fresh food, and a three pound make makes up to 50 pounds of
food. A typical one pound bag of food can go between $9 and $15. Ten pounds
bags will cost upwards $100 but will last several months for most dogs.

Is Grandma Lucy’s Worth it?

Grandma
Lucy’s value in product transparency has proven that they have not strayed from
their original purpose and mission. The founders and owners of Grandma Lucy’s
are highly involved in the company despite their growth. They go into the
facility every day and are involved in every process.

Family owned
companies have a stereotype of caring more about their products, and it rings true for Grandma Lucy’s. Their
company’s pros heavily outweigh the cons.

Pros

• Has never been involved in a pet
  food/treat recall
• Uses raw, high-quality ingredients
  from specialized suppliers
• Focused on food sensitivity and
  animal wellness
• Double test their ingredients for bacteria and quality
• Keep in personal contact with their
  suppliers
• Offers a wide variety of food and
  treats for cats and dogs
• Made in the USA
• Does not work with third-party
  manufacturers
• The brand shows customers where each
  ingredient comes from

Cons

• The brand uses garlic in their
  recipes. This may lead to dogs
  experiencing acid reflux and other gastrointestinal distress
• Grandma Lucy’s ingredients and foods
  are not USDA certified organic, although they do use natural  ingredients

All animals
are different, just as humans are. Just because one dog likes a food doesn’t mean another will. Grandma
Lucy’s works hard to ensure they are producing the best, natural food for your
pets. The brand is worth trying for animals who need a healthier diet or just
because an owner wants their pet to have the best food possible.