Every brand has a story. Woofelicious will be one of the brands showcased at the Pet & Aquatics Trade Show 2026 in the New Starter Zone. Woofelicious brings joy to four-legged friends with delicious, specially crafted ice cream made just for dogs. Born from a love for pets, this brand offers a healthy, dairy-free way to treat your canine companion.
In a recent Q&A, CEO Niels Jacobs offers insights into the brand’s founding and strategic vision:
1. How did your business transition from a concept to a reality, and how long did that journey take?
My journey with dog-friendly ice cream began in February 2022, inspired by our persistent Corgi named Posh. I’ve always enjoyed making ice cream at home, but when my girlfriend asked if I could craft a version for Posh to enjoy, a casual hobby turned into a creative mission.
By late spring, my boss noticed my progress on social media and suggested turning my recipes into a commercial brand. This led to a meeting with investors and the birth of what is now Woofelicious.
While we officially founded the company in March 2023, large-scale production development began back in November 2022. After months of navigating the hurdles of ingredient sourcing, packaging, and perfecting the formula, we finally launched our finished products in July 2023
2. What was the single biggest hurdle your brand faced during its early stages?
Even though our product is made in a human-grade factory with human-grade ingredients, we still had to meet strict Federal Agency 'animal feed' food standards. Because our customers are pets, we had to navigate the complex process of getting licensed for animal-grade production on top of our existing human-grade certifications.
3. Growth brings new goals. What is the primary challenge your business is navigating today?
Our main challenge is international expansion, as we rely on specialised frozen-chain partners for distribution. The limited number of reliable cold-chain logistics providers in target markets poses a significant bottleneck.
4. Which success story or aspect of your brand are you most proud of so far?
We are proud of our incremental expansion. Woofelicious was able to grow from 15 stores in 2023 to 318 stores in 3 different countries at the end of 2025.
5. Where does your team look for fresh inspiration and new ideas?
As a product designer, I find my inspiration in the daily life as a dog owner, but also trends, market shifts and listening to our audience.
6. How did you first discover PATS, and why is being part of this specific community important for your brand?
Our We were initially contacted by PATS and we decided the event was important to our strategy. PATS can give us insight into the UK market as we look for sales contacts and options.
7. What can visitors expect when they visit your stand? Are there any exciting new launches or specific partnerships you’re looking to build?
We are looking forward to engaging with visitors face-to-face. They will be able to see, smell and sample our products at our stand. As well as get all the information needed to hopefully start partnering with us.
This year we launched our new flavour ‘Tropawcal Fruits’ and we are planning to launch our new first non-frozen snack in June. These will be present at PATS. We aspire to build partnerships with pet retail chains as well as distribution partners that are excited to incorporate our products into their portfolio.
8. Looking beyond this show, how do you see your brand evolving over the next 18 months?
Over the next 18 months, the strategy is to see Woofelicious active in 6+ countries in Europe, including the UK. We will have a portfolio that has grown bigger than just frozen treats as our brand becomes more known as a joyful producer of plant-based treats for dogs in Europe.
