February 27th, 2025, marks five years since LOONAWELL was born. Five years since I took a leap that had been calling me since childhood—a leap I postponed until I could no longer ignore the urgency of purpose. Five years of LOONAWELL.
Before LOONAWELL, my career had reached heights I once aspired to. But despite the titles, the accomplishments, and the external validation, something was missing. I had lost my north. Why was I enduring the grind for something I didn’t truly love? I couldn’t settle for that and felt it was time to build something I believed in, something that mattered and felt close to my heart. I had built the financial stomach, the knowledge, and the network. At 43, I gave myself permission to start over.
Initially, I had three ideas in mind. I pursued each, testing their viability, feeling out where the real pain points were. Where did I have the expertise to solve a problem? Where was there a market that was not only large but growing? The answer led me to LOONAWELL.
I invested my first CHF 80K into the company and took no salary. I worked non-stop, pouring every ounce of energy into developing the first four products. And then, the world changed. The pandemic hit. The timing, oddly, worked in my favor—there were no distractions, nowhere to go, and not a penny to spare on anything but LOONAWELL. It was all or nothing. And I had chosen ‘all.’
By December 2020, LOONAWELL was officially selling. I started with four types of dog treats. Why those? Because I wanted to test the waters and see if my business predictions were any good. As sales took off, I increased the number of baked treats and later launched our Pâté Collection—this happened as our team grew from 1 FTE to 5 FTEs.
In 2024, we launched our complete food collection, which has been a game changer. Then, in December 2024, our first supplements came to market, marking a significant milestone. With them, we filed our first patent, joining our extended trademark portfolio. By the end of 2024, we had a consolidated position as the first mover into an ultra-premium segment of the pet category. We're stretching the boundaries of health awareness and product quality in dog food, setting a new standard for what pet parents should expect. Our mission is to redefine canine nutrition by delivering uncompromising quality backed by science and a deep commitment to dogs’ well-being.
When I first wrote my business strategy, I had mapped out a slow, step-by-step growth plan: establish ourselves in Switzerland, then expand into key locations. Reality, however, had its own plans. Within just a couple of years, LOONAWELL was exporting to 40 different countries across five continents. Don’t get me wrong, we are still a small company, but the question of “are there others out there with the same needs and willingness to pay that I had?”—that question has been answered with a resounding YES. After 2 rounds of friends and family and a seed round, and now as we scale, it will be about finding every customer who has been looking for LOONAWELL and did not know we existed.
Alongside the professional milestones was an equally intense personal journey.
Leaving behind a corporate career to become an entrepreneur at 43, as a sole female founder, was not an easy path. The journey has been filled with fear, trust, pain, love, anguish, and moments of overwhelming joy. Above all, it has been a journey of never-ending resilience and determination because this is what I feel when doing something I truly care about. But most of all, it has been liberating. I’ve learned that every struggle, every setback, every moment of doubt carries a lesson—one that, in hindsight, always seems to fit perfectly into the bigger picture. These five years of LOONAWELL have been the most demanding of my life yet also the most rewarding.
And LOONAWELL continues to grow. Our team has expanded. Our product range has evolved. From our organic baked treats, we moved into our organic pâté collection, our complete food collection, and, last but not least, our supplements. This year, 2025, our project pipeline is richer than ever. Most importantly, our community—dog owners who see their beloved companions thriving on our food—keeps growing alongside us, and we want to continue delighting them with all our healthy choices. But with growth comes responsibility, and the reality is that independent companies like ours survive because people choose to support them.
So, as we celebrate five years of LOONAWELL, the best way to mark this milestone is not just by looking back but by moving forward. If LOONAWELL has meant something to you—if you believe in our mission, if you’ve seen the difference in your dog—consider making a purchase. Not as an obligation, but as a vote for what you want to see more of in the world. Because every choice we make, as consumers and as entrepreneurs, shapes the future.
Here’s to five years of LOONAWELL. And to everything that comes next.
