When Albane Sabatier adopted her dog Jade, barely two years old, she never imagined that this small animal would end up revolutionizing her entire life. Not only because of the deep connection that was created between them, but because that experience would end up marking her professional career, encouraging her to create Food for Joe, a Catalan company that today has consolidated itself as a leader in natural and cooked food for dogs and cats, with more than 15,000 recurring clients and presence in 650 points of sale in Spain, France, and Italy.
In 2021, when Sabatier adopted Jade, the dog was in a delicate state of health: she had just had eight puppies, suffered from various food intolerances and dermatological problems. None of the commercial feeds she tried seemed to work. "When I started looking at the labels and analyzing the ingredients, I realized that I didn't understand many of them. That already gives you clues that you are not dealing with a natural product," she recalls. Furthermore, she adds: "In these prepared products, the base is usually rice, with a very low protein content, totally insufficient for the needs of these animals."
With a professional career linked to the food sector, she had worked in companies such as Danone or Naturitas —founded by Josep Casas, who would end up becoming her partner— and a lifestyle focused on sports and a vegan diet, Sabatier began to question the pet food model. "If we take such good care of the products we eat, why not do the same with our animals' food?" she remembers. So she started cooking for Jade herself, preparing recipes with fresh ingredients and making sure they provided all the nutrients the animal needed, without sacrificing flavor or good texture.
This homemade solution, the result of a personal experience, would soon change her professional direction. "I started cooking at home for Jade, and immediately saw that there were other caregivers with the same need," explains Sabatier. Together with Josep Casas —founder of Naturitas and Europistachio, and investor in more than 20 startups— she began to shape a business project with a clear idea: to offer real, cooked, and adapted food for each pet.
The first steps were taken in a workshop in Catalonia specialized in cooked food for humans, which worked with vacuum cooking and had free production lines. There they developed the first recipes for dogs and cats, made with natural and fresh ingredients, mainly from local suppliers, cooked at low temperature and vacuum-packed to preserve nutrients and eliminate bacteria. This was the germ of Food for Joe. Today, the company produces eight tons of cooked food daily in its own workshop in Galicia.
The recipes, developed by nutritionists and endorsed by veterinarians, follow the recommendations of the FEDIAF (European Pet Food Industry Federation). They combine high-quality animal protein —such as chicken, pork, or salmon— with fresh vegetables and fruits, such as pumpkin, zucchini, spinach, apple, or blueberries. In the case of dogs, protein represents approximately 70% of the recipe —with slightly more caloric formulas for large dogs—, while in cats it reaches between 85% and 90%, responding to the nutritional needs of each animal.
After closing 2025 with a turnover of 8.7 million euros, Food for Joe expects to reach 13 million by the end of 2026, which represents a growth of more than 40% in just one year. Likewise, this year the company is committed to expanding its offer with new ranges of snacks and natural supplements, such as chicken yogurts, cod donuts, dehydrated apple, marine collagen, salmon oil, or powdered seaweed.
"More than selling products, at Food for Joe we want to promote a healthy lifestyle also for our pets," summarizes Sabatier. "Pets deserve food as real and natural as ours," concludes the co-founder, with the same conviction that drove the business five years ago.