At LOONAWELL, we always say that transparency is a really big deal to us. We want you to know everything there is to know! This is why we work hard on The Healthy Dog Blog, so you can learn about different healthy ingredients; their benefits as well as dosage, our products, processes, and other important news that we love to share with you.
Get a peek inside!
This is why we decided to share a bit more about the “behind the scenes” of LOONAWELL.
As you might already know, Dr. Maria de Bettencourt Tavares is the captain of the ship. She is the sole founder and CEO of LOONAWELL. You can read more about her in the Our Founder section on our website. But throughout her journey, she has also been a magnet of talent and good energy. Today LOONAWELL’s DNA is made up of different professionals that altogether make the magic happen.
The LOONAWELL team is slowly and steadily growing, and we are very proud of that! Today we want to share some of those faces with you, and let them introduce themselves, so you can get to know us even a little bit more.
Nice to meet you! My name is Denisse Coquet, I’m the one writing this article. I’m also in charge of Editing and Digital Marketing at LOONAWELL. What brought LOONAWELL to my life was my pup, Alba. I was lucky enough to come across this amazing brand while searching for a healthy, clean product for Alba. I wanted to be sure I could give her treats with a clean conscience knowing that they were of premium quality and actually nutritious (which is not something easy to find). This is where my relationship, not only with LOONAWELL but also with Maria, took off.
I could not be more proud to be a part of this brand I trust blindly and help spread the message to so many other dog owners who share our concern for healthy dog nutrition. I’m in awe of everything Maria has accomplished with LOONAWELL so far and I can’t wait to see where this amazing company takes us.
denisse@loonawell.com
Hello! I am Cristina and I am the Food Development Lead at LOONAWELL.
I recently joined the LOONAWELL family, and I believe that this choice was the best decision I could have made for my career and personal development. I always had a passion for food and animals, dogs in particular, and working at LOONAWELL allows me to merge these two important aspects of my life.
Together with a team of experts, I can elevate my scientific skills, blend them with my love for food and animals, and create trustworthy, high-quality products that meet every dog's complete nutritional needs to make life easier for dog owners and our animal friends.
The LOONAWELL team is ready to make a real difference! And I am happy to be part of it!
cristina@loonawell.com
Hi, I'm Steve, Commercial Lead at LOONAWELL. My journey with LOONAWELL began when I came across the remarkable story of our founder, Maria. As a dog parent myself, I understand the importance of providing healthy and delicious food options for my dog, Nash, and I am constantly on the lookout for nutritious food that he enjoys and that nourishes him. This permanent quest for products that can improve Nash's life and well-being led me to discover LOONAWELL.
As I delved deeper into LOONAWELL's mission and values, and after seeing the unwavering dedication Maria and Cristina share for creating and developing amazing products with an incredible level of passion and attention to detail, I realized that this was the place I was destined to be. I proudly consider myself not only an integral part of LOONAWELL but also one of its most loyal customers, with my Nash being its number-one fan!
Each day, I wake up motivated by the knowledge that I'm contributing to the well-being of dog owners and their pets. I am convinced we are more than just another dog food company; we are a team deeply committed to the health and happiness of dogs, ensuring that every dog owner can enjoy a lasting bond with their four-legged best friend. I am thrilled to be a part of LOONAWELL's journey and eagerly anticipate the global expansion of our premium brands in selected stores.
steve@loonawell.com
Hello, I’m Lucie, the Senior Manufacturing Manager at LOONAWELL.
My dog Sunny has a very sensitive stomach so joining LOONAWELL and participating in the production of premium pet food that’s both healthy and tasty was a no-brainer for me. When I met our founder, Maria de Bettencourt Tavares, I immediately saw that we share the same vision of how nutrition can play a key role in the life of a dog. Starting with a very healthy diet as a puppy and finding the right combination as they grow older is such a key aspect of being a dog parent, and it can sometimes be very tricky. Not all dogs are born with a healthy gut.
Once we found the right food for Sunny everything clicked: training became easy, her fur was shinier, her sleep routine synched with ours (waking up to go potty in the middle of the night was getting old), and overall she just became a much happier dog.
I am really excited to be part of a team that focuses on producing an excellent product and making sure that our pets live the very best life they can.
lucie@loonawell.com
Hi, nice to meet you! I’m James, Commercial Lead at LOONAWELL. I’m an Australian living in Zürich with my young family including our loveable Aussie Bulldog Frankie. After spending over 12 years in the Consumer Goods industry working with large global brands, I decided it was time to try something new which is where Maria and LOONAWELL come in.
As I took some more time to learn about LOONAWELL along with Maria’s amazing journey in creating this truly unique and purpose-driven company, I knew that this was somewhere I could belong whilst also having a real impact.
After getting to know Maria and the team, what really resonated with me was their unwavering dedication to LOONAWELL’s mission of enhancing the health and well-being of all dogs. Offering products for dogs that were not only organic but made with Human-Grade quality ingredients and manufactured in-house in the kitchen right below the office just blew me away. These are exactly the type of products I wanted for our Bulldog Frankie. I also very quickly knew I wanted to be a part of this exciting journey.
And so I’m now looking forward to continuing to build global awareness of our amazing products so as many dogs as possible can benefit from LOONAWELL; leading healthier, happier lives.
james@loonawell.com
Hi 😀 I’m Maria de Bettencourt Tavares. I always get goosebumps when I read this article.
Working in a remote/hybrid environment is part of nowadays work-life balance and I love having and providing that freedom to my employees and collaborators. I have no doubt that we get the best of each professional when they can live and work in the environment they love the most and an evolving space where they can thrive. I can also certainly feel that the different cultural backgrounds of everyone on the team bring great richness to the final product.
Growing our full-time working team became one of our top priorities after closing our seed round financing, in July 2023, and we are thrilled to be incorporating new members to our team as we continue growing.
At the moment we are still in start-up mode, but we have taken some very important steps forward and I am proud to say that we have put together a strong, consolidated team which I am confident will take us to new heights.
From the bottom of my heart, I thank you all for your amazing work and collaboration, which I know our beloved customers (doggies and their owners) appreciate too. Cheers to all of you, to those who are here in this article and those who are not here but have also participated in our journey in one way or another, to what we’ve built so far, and to what’s still to come 🚀🥂🐾!
Every time our customers support our small business, these are the faces that will be smiling all day long (and truth be said some of us do a little happy dance too!).
maria@loonawell.com
Our Valued Partners
Hello! I’m Isabella De Rosa and I create content for the LOONAWELL social media accounts. What I love about this job is the creativity behind it and collaboration with other incredibly talented and enthusiastic professionals.
When I first met Maria and we went over the LOONAWELL project and everything it involved, I knew it would be more fun than work. During our first conversation, we were talking about dogs and naturally, she asked me if I liked them. It was funny because, at that same moment, I was holding my puppy on my lap, so I lifted him up to the camera in response.
Seeing a professional such as Maria dedicating her skills to creating extremely high-quality products for our puppies made me believe in this project right away and I am so happy to be a part of this amazing company. Plus, I get to spend a lot of time watching dog videos for work! Not bad, eh?
Hello! I'm Neus, a Veterinarian and Animal Nutritionist. I came across LOONAWELL while browsing the internet, and when I read the founder Maria's story, it deeply resonated with me. Right from the start, everything about LOONAWELL caught my attention. A woman-owned company, with big dreams to provide healthy and trustworthy nutrition to dogs.
A few weeks later, when I had the chance to meet Maria in person, it became clear to me that LOONAWELL is a unique project, and I wanted to be a part of it. We share the same core values: Rigor in science and passion for animals.
Based on my experience, I can confidently say that LOONAWELL products set a new standard for quality. They offer exceptional food options with a level of quality that I've never seen before. I wholeheartedly recommend them without any hesitation!
I’m thrilled to be a part of this team that promotes health and enhances the quality of life for as many dogs and their families as possible!
neus@loonawell.com
Hi! I’m Chef Joao Ferrão and I am currently a Culinary Advisor. I'm proud and feel fortunate to be able to bring added value to several customers to develop their own products and share all my technical knowledge and passion for innovation and gastronomy.
The first time I crossed paths with Maria and LOONAWELL, I thought it would be just another project. But no... it became a totally different and exciting challenge: hard research and experimental work, to guarantee consistency and organoleptic characteristics, always respecting the brand's mission. Obtaining a 100% certified organic premium product, using 100% human-grade ingredients, tailored to a dog’s nutritional needs... and with a lot of taste!
After more than 2 years, at the end of each development and recipe, I still feel joy and happiness for the product that Maria and LOONAWELL achieved. A serious and responsible brand with a huge potential for future growth, that does not give up on its mission, no matter how difficult the road ahead.
I feel absolutely proud every day for participating in this project. Always aiming to present the best product for a better quality of life for our end customers.
Hello everyone, I’m Simon Baker! Like all the best brands, LOONAWELL does exactly what it says on the tin. For me, LOONAWELL has always been about family – like my four-week-old daughter's contributions to our early packaging design strategy calls, or the knowledge that we're producing the very best for family members with four legs. It's 100% true when we say, 'Made with love', and that reflects every stage of the process from baking to design to customer support. Being part of the LOONAWELL family means being part of a brand committed to making a lasting difference in the world and refusing to compromise on quality – which is surely the best place to be.