Q&A with Mark Hirschberg from Multipet International

What encouraged you to join the pet industry?

Well I was actually born into the pet industry. My grandfather started a company when he came to the US from Germany, and he basically took leather scraps and turned them into dog toys.

How does the overall pet industry compare today to when you first joined?

The industry has changed dramatically. Product wise—when I first came into the industry most products were made in China, and you would buy what the Chinese companies were presenting to you. Today, our product is designed by us and created and brought over to China to have made. There is certainly a lot better quality. The factories in China have raised their standards as well, and as you know, we go through rigorous inspections on our products and factories where those regulations weren’t in place even 10 years ago. As for consumers and retail customers, social media has changed a lot—it really is a “different animal” now if you will. Everywhere we look we see people with their pets, and the products being commented on both positively and negatively online—so I believe consumers are much more knowledgeable now than in the past. Plus, they have the ability to communicate in a way they didn’t have before, and I think that is true about everything in the world now.

Which pet industry trends have caught your attention and how is Multipet International addressing them?

We like to have toys that have different fabrics and different patterns and different materials. We also like to have toys that have multiple types of materials so they can have multiple usages. We also like to come out with toys that are interactive so owners can play with their dogs too. We really try to follow color trends in the market. Helping develop that human and animal bond is really important to us.

How is the company setting itself apart from competitors within the pet industry?

We are not a company focused on competition—meaning we just kind of follow our own direction and our own road. We do things that we believe are right for us and the market. Since we are family-owned we can make decisions on a dime, so we don’t have to go through committees to get approval. If we get a new product today and it’s approved, it will be in the market within 90 days. I believe that is a big advantage we have. We customize all the time—we customize colors, toys and the displays they are in. Most importantly we try to stay ahead of the trends because we know that if have good products and we shoot fast and deliver properly, people will only contact us for proactive reasons.

Who has been your biggest advocate and supporter?

I gained a lot of my experience in the 1990s when I was working with Petcrest which was a private label brand for pet stores only. Many of the key people at that time were truly my source of inspiration for what I did.