Business Spotlight: Centinela Feed and Pet Supplies

Suppliers across categories have forged symbiotic relationships with Centinela Feed and Pet Supplies. Centinela’s collection of quality and trustworthy products, combined with the team’s deep knowledge of its products has proven time and again, if a pet owner trusts Centinela, then they will trust the products on shelf. Centinela is well known across southern California for its highly knowledgeable staff which gives suppliers peace of mind and pet owners a reliable resource for new product solutions and brands.

“The thing we hang our hat on is healthier, holistic pet foods and increasing the quality and the health of the pet’s life,” said Retail Division Manager Matt Perez. “We are making sure that with customers who have never heard of Centinela Feed, we are explaining the quality of the products and everything we are carrying and what the benefits of those are and how it will relate to them directly and their pet. Pets are family, so it’s making that connection, and it’s been great for us.”

He continued, “From the hiring process all the way up through our general managers, our corporate staff, we are all heavily pet invested; whether we have them ourselves or grew up with them, we are all in the same boat of making sure that what we are selling and everything we bring in and everything we believe in is all to make the health and quality of the pet’s life significantly better. That always relates extremely well to our customers.”

The manufacturers that collaborate with Centinela are inspired by the retail leadership team’s openness to new ideas supplier partners propose, and faith in taking a chance on existing partners who venture outside their flagship categories.

Advantageous Partnerships

“Partnering with a retailer like Centinela Feed offers many advantages to Open Farm,” said Chief Sales Officer Amy Horton. “Centinela has a strong presence in the greater Los Angeles area, providing direct access to a large and diverse customer base in a key market. By being on shelf in these stores, we increase our brand visibility amongst pet parents who trust Centinela for their pet care needs. In addition, collaborating on joint marketing efforts and in-store promotions with Centinela gives Open Farm opportunities to raise awareness and drive sales for both brands through marketing campaigns, promotions and educational events. Through all of these things, together, we can educate pet parents about the importance of high-quality, responsibly sourced pet food, reinforcing our commitment to better standards in the industry.”

Earth Rated has come to find that partnering with a retailer like Centinela Feed offers numerous advantages. “Their knowledgeable and well-trained staff enhance the customer experience by providing expert advice and support,” said Senior Key Account Manager Jennifer Parish. “With an established market presence and strong brand alignment, Centinela Feed fosters trust and loyalty among their customers. Centinela Feed’s rich history and dedication to community involvement resonate deeply with Earth Rated’s mission and values, making this partnership truly exceptional.”

“Centinela does a great job with educating employees and pet parents alike on product available in their store,” said Nancy Schmid, Director of Business Development for Pioneer Pet. “We have partnered with them on their educational webinars and in other employee or customer programs. During local events such as CatCon, we have partnered with them to hand out coupons and cross promote our mutual business. Their employees have immersed themselves in understanding our products.”

“One of the main advantages of partnering with a retailer like Centinela Feed is their market presence, which enables the reach and visibility of Redbarn products,” said Justin Paulus, Director of Sales for Redbarn Pet Products. “Additionally, their knowledgeable staff ensures that our products are recommended correctly, enhancing customer satisfaction.”

“Centinela has a variety of marketing programs that enable us to partner with them to grow sales together,” said ZIWI SVP of Sales Heather Hickey.

Earth Animal has realized that forging partnerships with retailers that share values and priorities makes it easier to reach pet parents that are mindful about their pets’ nutrition and the impact they are making on the environment and its resources. “By partnering with a strong retailer such as Centinela, it allows Earth Animal to reach more pet parents who are conscious about the health and well-being of their pets and the planet,” said Co-Founder Susan Goldstein. “Not only does it assist us in our mission to support the health, well-being and enrichment in pets’ lives while supporting our sustainability efforts, but it also allows us to partner with like-minded retailers who share the same vision while continuously driving their business.”

“Their well trained and knowledgeable staff members along with 21 locations spread throughout SoCal is a great reason to partner with a retailer like Centinela Feed,” said Basel Nassar, Founder and CEO of Boss Nation Brands.

“From our standpoint, Centinela operates stress and drama free,” said Bob Bushor, National Sales Manager—Pet Specialty for Dr. Elsey’s Quality Cat Products. “I find them to be friendly, receptive, and supportive of the Dr. Elsey’s brand as we continue to grow together. They have figured out how to be successful in this industry and it shows as they continue to add stores. It just reaffirms that they we will be partnered with them for a long time to come.”

Perfectly Aligned

“The partnership between Open Farm and Centinela Feed is a collaborative and mutually enriching relationship that has thrived for most of Open Farm’s 10-year history,” Horton said. “This long-standing alliance is characterized by a shared commitment to enhancing pet health and well-being, ethical practices and environmental sustainability. It is easy to work with a partner who has shared values and goals, has a customer centric approach and is keen to be a leader in growth and innovation in the pet space—all of this aligns with what we are doing at Open Farm and makes Centinela a trusted retail partner.”

“The partnership between Earth Rated and Centinela Feed is strong and quite synergistic, driven by our shared dedication to quality and integrity,” said Parish. “Both Earth Rated and Centinela Feed act with purpose and thoughtfulness to exceed customer expectations and enhance their experiences. Centinela Feed’s deep roots in the community and commitment to improving the health and quality of pets’ lives perfectly align with Earth Rated’s mission to create products that make life with dogs simpler and better.”

“Centinela Feed is an exemplary partner for Earth Rated due to their unwavering commitment to quality and customer service—values that align perfectly with our own,” she continued. “Having grown from a small store in Mar Vista to a reputable chain, Centinela Feed has always prioritized the needs of their community. Their CEO, Chris Nakagawa, embodies the same values of dedication towards responsible pet ownership, integrity and passion that Earth Rated upholds. Their thoughtful approach ensures that our products are presented with the highest standards of care and professionalism.”

“Centinela has been an excellent partner for the Pioneer Pet family for many years,” said Schmid. “They have always been open to ideas and understand that the supplier-retailer relationship works best when both parties have common goals.”

Centinela Feed was one of the first retailers to bet on Pioneer Pet when it entered the litter category. “Early in our beginning, Centinela was open to a variety of our cat hardgoods/supply items such as fountains and scratching items,” she continued. “A decade ago when we launched our SmartCat Natural Litter, Centinela was one of the first retailers to recognize and appreciate the quality and performance of our natural litter. They have continued to heavily endorse and support our products within their stores.”

Both Redbarn and Centinela Feed are linked in their shared commitment to offer high-quality pet products. “Together, we aim to enhance the health and wellness of pets through high-quality products, ensuring that pet owners receive the best possible solutions for their furry friends,” said Paulus. This alignment extends to our common goals of enhancing pet health and wellness, which makes Centinela Feed a solid partner for Redbarn Pet Products.”

ZIWI and Centinela Feed have established and fostered a long-standing partnership. “They are a great retailer, and we value our relationship with them,” said Hickey. “Centinela stocks a significant number of ZIWI SKUs. Their staff is well trained and the stores are in good locations, with great foot traffic.”

Earth Animal credits Centinela Feed for taking a chance on up and coming brands and for forging a path in the industry to make room for sustainable and eco-friendly products that at one point were a new or foreign concept to the industry. “Centinela Feed throughout the years has been a solid foundational partner to Earth Animal,” Goldstein said. “They are without a doubt a progressive and respectable retailer within our industry who have pioneered and bettered the lives of pets for decades. They have not only partnered in the past to pioneer and share the values and mission of our brands but have been instrumental in other great brands as well. As any strong strategic partner, Centinela values each brand they select to sell, and work closely with their vendor partners to provide strong growth, product performance, communication, ideas on innovation and customer experiences. As a partner, we strongly appreciate and value their drive and partnership.”

Working with Centinela means having a partner that plays a pivotal role in helping your brand develop and succeed, Goldstein said. She continued, “Centinela has worked throughout the years to support and grow all various lines of Earth Animal including our No-Hide Chews and Apothecary and Wisdom Air Dried. We appreciate their full focus and detailed drive on our lines and candid feedback with our innovation and performance on the promoting of our products. Partners such as Centinela are exciting to work with, being strongly rooted in their passion for pets, products, and community while exemplifying the passion for customer service. Because of our similar values and our common goals, this makes for a strong and valued partnership.”

“Centinela Feed was one of our first accounts to bring in Boss Dog froyo in 2019 as they saw the potential in partnering with us early on,” said Nassar. “As Boss Nation is a fairly new brand focused on independent pet specialty, Centinela has 21 stores scattered throughout Southern California to help bring our products to market.”

“They have been a strong Dr. Elsey’s partner in a competitive channel, and it shows in their growth,” Bushor explained. “I have only recently taken responsibility for their account but my interaction with their team had been beyond supportive and productive. I am finding it to be a very good working relationship. They are ideally located in a prime area of cat ownership. Their locations and selection of Dr. Elsey’s products helps Dr. Elsey’s achieve our goal of offering the best products available to as many cats and cat parents as possible.”

Compatibility is Key

“Centinela Feed’s mission to enhance customer happiness by improving pet health aligns seamlessly with our mission to do some good for pets, animals and the planet,” said Open Farm’s Horton. “Our commitment to high-quality, ethically sourced and nutritious pet food directly supports Centinela Feed’s goal of promoting pet health and quality of life. We both also focus on community, customer education and advocacy, ensuring that pet parents are well-informed and empowered to make responsible choices. This alignment of values and goals makes Open Farm a perfect partner for Centinela Feed in our shared mission to improve the lives of pets and their owners.”

“Centinela Feed shares many of the same core values as Earth Rated, including a steadfast commitment to quality and customer satisfaction,” Parish said. “Their mission to improve the health and quality of pets’ lives aligns seamlessly with our own goal of making everyday moments simpler and better for dogs and their owners. Our shared enthusiasm for new opportunities ensures that we continuously improve and innovate. We both act with purpose and lead with integrity, valuing the trust our customers place in us.”

The example that Centinela’s leadership sets both in business and in how they treat animals resonates with Pioneer Pet. “Pioneer Pet is a small family owned and operated company with traditional Midwest values and goals,” Schmid said. “ We strive to provide the best products for cats and cat families. Centinela is similar because of [Vice President] Dwight Nakagawa. Dwight is an animal lover and truly has a passion for providing great products for all pet parents.”

Redbarn has a deep respect for Centinela’s solid reputation and ability to maintain connections within the communities Centinela stores operate in. “Centinela Feed’s standing as a trusted retailer with a strong community presence and a focus on customer education about pet health aligns well with Redbarn’s mission to provide premium, innovative pet solutions,” Paulus explained.

ZIWI has a supportive partner in Centinela largely for the company’s deep understanding of nontraditional pet foods and ability to educate pet owners on raw and alternative to raw options to ease pet owners’ concerns and encourage product trial. “Centinela’s team focuses on selling raw and alternative to raw foods to the pet parents who shop in their stores,” ZIWI’s Hickey said. “They are knowledgeable about nutrition and they have good customer service.”

“Centinela, like Earth Animal, believes in putting pets and people first,” Goldstein said. “This is evident from their product selections such as Earth Animal. They have a solid understanding of healthy quality products that people and pets want and put their health and happiness first in all they do. They support their local community and build strong deep roots with those they service and have a loyal following from those who believe in what they do and what they stand for.”

“Centinela commitment and understanding to digestive health of our fur babies aligns our Digestive Solution products well with one another,” Nassar said.

Centinela and Dr. Elsey’s are both family owned and have been for decades, making the entities highly compatible. “We share the same passion of supporting shelter and rescues and trying to help pets and people live better, healthier, happier lives,” Bushor explained.

Leadership

Perez attributes strong leadership and treating pet parents the way they would like to be treated to Centinela’s continued success.

“It comes down to just practicing what you preach and believing in training and the overall knowledge and customer service levels,” he said. “Let’s say we have a customer who wanders into one our stores and thinks they are feeding something that from their understanding is great for their pet. They come into us and maybe that we have some better options out there. That’s not to say what they are feeding is bad, but there is always a better option out there. We are helping our customers understand what those benefits are without going into technical terms and making somebody’s eyes cross. It’s more of making sure they really translate that to an understanding to that customer of, ‘this is overall what’s going to be the healthiest thing for your pet, and that is going to lead to this, that and the other thing,’ and starting that from the top down, from our CEO and the owner to go down to the training aspect of every full-time and part-time employee – that’s what I personally believe – is what has led to the success of Centinela Feed. That no matter what level, we make sure you have a full understanding of all the different aspects and all the different things that go into food. The level of customer service and making it that community family feel of you come in, let’s have a conversation and not only will I ring you up, but I will carry the bag out to your car. From beginning to end service, that’s something we hang our hats on, and that’s what has kept us around for so long. For the whole life of the pet, we want to make sure we are giving them the best thing possible.”

Current CEO, Chris Nakagawa, took over the family business as Chairman and CEO when he was 25, however his career started when Nakagawa was 13. At that time, his parents, Tom and Mieko Nakagawa, operated Centinela Feed as a pet food store that served primarily residents with horses, chickens and ducks. After school, Chris Nakagawa completed his studies before helping his parents in their store, located at Centinela Avenue and Louise Avenue in Los Angeles.

“Over the years, my parents always taught me to take care of customers in every sense of the word and give back to the community where I live,” explained Chris Nakagawa. “It is that work ethic and dedication to my community, instilled at an early age, that has guided the success at Centinela Feed.”

With Chris Nakagawa at the helm, Centinela began serving dog and cat owners, which coincided with the timing of when the pet industry gained traction and took off.

“There it was—our niche,” he said. “I started partnering with several pet and local human charities. Still, today we donate thousands of pounds of pet food each month, take employees to volunteer to help feed the homeless and hire the best employees. As we did then and continue to do today, we hire fantastic people with a great work ethic, passion and integrity.”

History

This year Centinela achieved a milestone of 50 years in the industry.

“Our owner, his parents, got into the early feed aspect when they started with chicken and horse feed,” Perez explained. “It all just kind of grew from being the local place where everyone would go and buy pet food; and throughout the years, we still hang our hat on that local, intertwined-with-the-community place where people can go whether they are looking for their same old, same old product or they have a specific issue or concern with their pet. They can go and just want to have a conversation with any of our team here and know that we’re going to give them the best advice and everything we possibly have. We’ve been doing that for a long time now.”

Perez has been with Centinela for 10 years and began his tenure in the stores.

“That was what I found the most exciting thing is customers coming in wanting to have a conversation and really concerned with what ingredients and what they were feeding,” he said. “I came from the electronics industry before this and I’ll never forget when I walked into our stores and said, ‘Wait, these are some really expensive bags of pet food; what is going on here?’ while wondering if I’ve made the right career move. During training, I then learned about everything that went into it and why it was that and that’s when I was like, ‘OK, now you make that distinct connection and now it makes sense.’ After I learned that I was like, ‘Oh, this is great,’ and then came conversations with the customers and all that stuff. There was a lot of learning behind it but all those dots connected to make sense of why we are around. This is why customers come to us and have a completely different overall experience here than they would anywhere else.”

He added, “Most of our employees are pet owners themselves so they are using all these products, so it’s even more of that individualized touch of ‘Hey, I’ve used this on my own dog or cat. I had this issue and this is what helped with it.’ That speaks volumes more than just reading a package, which can tell you one thing, but having somebody tell you what it did for them and their pet specifically really makes a difference.”

Centinela Feed’s origins trace back to a storefront at 4307 Centinela Ave in Mar Vista; a neighborhood located on the westside of Los Angeles and within proximity to picturesque Santa Monica Pier and eclectic Venice Beach. Today that former storefront address is flanked by apartment buildings and one-story houses in an urban-suburban mix neighborhood that draws tourists and renters to its dense volume of bars, restaurants, coffee shops and parks.

Before Mar Vista as a community was annexed into Los Angeles in 1927, and long before Mar Vista was designated as a neighborhood in 2006, Al Barnes, the co-owner of the Carson and Barnes circus, envisioned that swath of land to become his personal city. In fact, the storefront at 4307 Centinela Ave was designated the location of Barnes City’s City Hall. Barnes City would last for less than a year before the area would evolve into the artistic neighborhood it is today.

“Centinela Feed has continued to provide quality pet products while serving charities in Southern California,” said Chris Nakagawa. “I have been blessed to have great mentors and been born and raised in Southern California. This is my home and this is my community.”

During the remainder of 2024, Centinela will continue building momentum with regular community events.

“We’re getting into a good rhythm,” Perez said. “Whether they are in-store things to give a pet owner a reason to come in to do something fun with their pet, there are all kinds of things that won’t cost the customer anything, but more of a reason to come on in and have some fun with us. We are making our best efforts to do some external events as well – more outreach to pet owners and tell them what we’re about. It’s continued community building with in-store and external events. You can only take your dog to the dog park so many times. It’s giving them other reasons and other things to come in and while they are there, we will teach them some things about pet nutrition and off they go. We will be more than happy to be there with you.”