After 15 years in the pet industry working with some of the largest pet retailers and manufacturers, Jess Berger found herself disillusioned with the lack of representation, inclusivity, and alignment in the pet space.
A first-generation Latina, she asked herself what it would look like to create a pet company catering to women first, and to create a diverse network of purpose-driven partnerships to serve pet owners. Shortly after, Berger left her corporate job and founded Bundle x Joy, a pet care brand where nutrition meets purpose.
Bundle x Joy delivers superfood nutrition across food, treats, and supplements for pets so consumers and their pups can chase more joy together. Its products are sold in fun, whimsical, and female-forward packaging that people love keeping on their kitchen counters.
“Pet foods are purchased about 70% by women, but everything I saw in retailers was blue, brown, boring and basic,” Berger said.
“My pets are such a big part of my family. They bring me so much love, and I wanted to bring that through in our products,” she added. “We’re totally changing the game with our fun and whimsical designs, while also bringing super food nutrition to every pet and their person.”
Bundle x Joy shipped its first product in late 2022 and quickly got into 500 retailers nationwide. Within a few months, the company stepped into ecommerce with Amazon. Berger said she leaned on experts from Amazon for marketing support and to help her learn everything from setting up products to sending their first shipment.
“Amazon very quickly became important for us to be able to reach every customer,” Berger added. “It’s been great for our business because it’s allowed us to reach a lot of new customers who may not have a local retail store near them.”
The learning curve paid off. As Bundle x Joy’s consumer base grew with Amazon, sales soared to more than $1,000,000 in its first year of business with seven employees.
“Every month we have our best month ever in the Amazon store and as we look to next year, we’re growing expectations on Amazon 20x,” Berger said. “We’ve already hit that million-dollar milestone. It’s been very, very exciting and Amazon’s just going to continue to help us grow that.”
Berger said utilizing Fulfillment by Amazon has helped her team stay nimble as demand for Bundle x Joy’s superfood products continues to grow rapidly. “Shipping 18-pound bags is not for the weak-hearted,” she said. “We have a lot of pet food that we have to get to homes, and Fulfillment by Amazon helps to get it there quicker.”
She also said Subscribe and Save has been a game changer for pet parents who want products delivered effortlessly to their doorstep every month. “Changing your dog’s food can be a really stressful experience. When somebody finds a food that works really well for them and their pet, they don’t want to change a thing,” Berger added. “Putting [the food] on an auto subscription really allows them the opportunity to not have to think about it anymore.”
As a 100% female-founded venture, Bundle x Joy is also committed to empowering women in all walks of life and giving back to the local community. The company harnesses a 3% give-back program to fund local women in entrepreneurship as a way to help uplift others. Their efforts have helped support the growth of more than 50 small businesses.
Berger also regularly brings in interns from local schools to help students have a firsthand look at entrepreneurship.
“They need to be inspired to understand that if they see an opportunity that they should go chase it. They should go launch that brand of their dreams,” she said. “It’s really important that we keep sharing that story so we can help to inspire more diverse and women-owned businesses.”
For budding entrepreneurs, this startup founder says one piece of advice has continued to carry her through her first successful year in business: “When you are passionate about something, you have to chase after it and you have to run really fast,” she said.