CHICKEN MEAL
Considerable amount of time was required to locate our chicken meat source, a speciality supplier that has the ability to process to our specific requirements. Our chicken is not from rendering plants where by-products are rendered at high temperature. There are no bones, by-products or indigestible parts in our Chicken Meal. It is strictly human quality chicken flesh with some edible skin. The same as you would cook for your family. We have the chicken cooked at the supplier to maintain freshness and reduce the possibility of contamination in handling and shipping uncooked product. It is processed into a "Ground Meal" form with most of the water removed for ease of handling and reduced shipping costs.
OVEN-BAKING
The company baking our canine product has been baking pet food for over 30 years. The temperature is regulated and monitored, along with the mixing process, every 10 minutes with a computer printout for control and regulatory agency reporting. It is always within standards or it must be destroyed. The process includes "twice-baking" of a "cookie" for uniformity of product before the cookie is broken into bite size pieces. the palatability and digestibility is baked in - therefore, we do not spray our product with liver, fats or sugar to encourage the pet to eat. The baking process converts harmful starches into dextrins. We could reduce our costs considerably by using an extrusion process as do most pet food manufacturers. However, steam cooking in the extrusion process will not produce the premium quality we desire.
WHEAT AS FOOD INGREDIENT
Some humans, as well as pets, are allergic to wheat. However, it is a far better grain to digest than corn or soybean. Using a combination of different forms of grain - ground wheat, wheat flour, wheat germ meal, ground rice (both white and brown) is better than just one grain. Humans as well as pets have certain foods they should not eat. We realize that one product cannot meet the needs of every pet owner. While a wheat base is acceptable to most dogs, it is up to each pet owner to make this determination. We purchase our grains from General Mills and Pillsbury, not direct from the farm. The cost is greater; however, we are insured of receiving the finest quality without the risk of mold or other harmful toxins.
BEET PULP
Our beet pulp has no sugar. We use only the fiber left after all the sugar has been extracted. Beet pulp is by far the best source of fiber to gently massage intestinal walls, removing the mucus/slime and aid in the animal's bowel movement. Nutrients are first digested in the stomach - then absorbed into the blood through the intestinal walls. Proper fiber acts as a calming base for forming the stool in the colon and it develops good fecal consistency. We feel it is better than peanut hulls, corncobs, citrus, screenings and other fillers most often used in pet foods.
PRESERVATIVES
Foods will spoil without some form of temperature control or preservatives. Some feel that chemical preservatives are more important to use than allowing the possibility of a food turning rancid. We disagree. As a preservative, we use Vitamin E, a closely related fat-soluble compound known as tocopherols. Vitamin E is an antioxidant that retards the oxidation of other vitamins. It is important for reproduction. Vitamin E works as a presrvative up to a period of 12 months and as a peak preservative up to 6 months. Our products, including manufacturing and shipping time, are in the hands of the pet owner within 1 month! When stored out of direct heat, the pet owner has a "fresh" product for a period of at least 5 months - with the ability to feed for 11 months. If your pet does not consume food during this length of time, the food can be frozen to preserve freshness. Our food is not "warehoused." It is delivered to Riverside within two days of manufacture.
FLINT RIVER RANCH
We have been in business since mid-1993 and compared to the industry giants, we are a drop in the bucket. Thanks to the support of dedicated customers, we are multi-million in sales dollars and continue our ntaional growth. As there are few manufacturers of an oven-baked product, intime, we may exhaust existing capacity to provide dog food to our specifications. Oven-baking is considered a "niche" and limited marketplace; manufacturers today are not expanding with this technology. While it produces a better product, the cost is also greater. Based on our current growth, we should reach production capacity in about two years. Therefore, we are currently taking steps to build our own plants.
PHILOSOPHY OF MARKETING
When a product is brought to the marketplace, it is important for a company to determine how to market or advertise. Flint River Ranch has selected the "networking" or "sharing" approach as our marketing program. Rather than pay the profits to the wholesaler or retailer, we prefer that the marketing profits be paid to the people that make this business happen. You cannot get "rich overnight" sharing Flint River Ranch products; however, you can invest some time and effort for a period of time and generate "residual" financial security. Income is solely determined by individual effort. Flint River Ranch business strength is derived from the high ratio of customers to Distributors.