BuddyMeal launches personalised dry dog food in South Africa

SOUTH AFRICA – South African start-up BuddyMeal has launched a personalised dry dog food service that uses each dog’s age, breed, weight, body condition, and activity level to develop an individual feeding plan and daily portion recommendation.

Founded by Benjamin Callens, the business aims to help pet owners navigate feeding decisions by combining an online questionnaire with a nutrition algorithm and review by a certified animal nutritionist.

Customers provide details about their dogs, including food sensitivities and health goals, through BuddyMeal’s website. 

The system then recommends a suitable food option and daily feeding quantity. Owners can update their dog’s profile as its weight, activity level and nutritional needs change.

BuddyMeal offers plans for different life stages, alongside gluten-free, soy-free, grain-free and chicken-free options. The company describes the service as South Africa’s first personalised dry dog food offering.

Callens said the idea emerged after he moved from Belgium to South Africa and adopted a dog named Buddy. 

Despite his experience in consumer goods and pet food, he struggled to identify the best diet for his new pet in a market with numerous premium brands.

He said conversations with other owners revealed similar uncertainty about choosing the right food and feeding quantity, prompting him to develop a service that provides more individual guidance.

BuddyMeal manufactures the food in South Africa, with its Western Cape facility preparing, weighing, portioning, labelling, and packing orders. 

Each bag carries the dog’s name and feeding instructions, and the company delivers orders to customers nationwide.

The company says its recipes follow European Pet Food Industry Federation (FEDIAF) nutritional guidelines for complete and balanced pet food. 

Production includes regular laboratory testing, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) food-safety controls and batch traceability. 

The company says a certified animal nutritionist reviews each food and feeding-plan combination before supply.

The launch comes as South Africa’s pet sector expands. 

Statistics South Africa’s General Household Survey reports millions of dogs living in households nationwide, while Trade Intelligence estimates the country’s pet-focused fast-moving consumer goods market reached R10.4 billion (approximately US$580 million) after 15.8% growth in 2025.

BuddyMeal’s model reflects growing interest in tailoring pet-food products and feeding guidance to individual animals, combining online customer information with portion recommendations and nutritionist oversight.

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