The Honest Kitchen: How One Womans Mission Transformed Pet Nutrition

As International Womens Day approaches on March 8, Lucy Postins, founder of The Honest Kitchen, reflects on how her kitchen experiment turned into a pioneering pet food company.

In 2002, frustrated by her dog Mosis chronic ear infections and skin issues, Postins sought a whole-food, human-grade alternative — a concept that didnt exist in the pet food industry at the time.

“I started The Honest Kitchen in my own kitchen, back in 2002. At the time, it was just me and my beloved Rhodesian Ridgeback, Mosi, mixing up fresh ingredients and trying out recipes together,” Postins says.

With no commercially available solutions that met her standards, she began making her own pet food using human-grade, dehydrated ingredients. Seeing dramatic improvements in Mosis health, she realized that other pets could benefit too — and The Honest Kitchen was born.

However, the journey wasnt easy. At the time, “Human Grade” was not a recognized standard in pet food. In the process of overcoming regulatory hurdles, Postins took the Ohio Department of Agriculture to court, ultimately winning the right to commercial free speech and setting a new industry precedent.

“Almost 20 years later, we have a full line of products to meet a variety of needs for all kinds of pets,” says Postins. “Our loyal fan base of passionate pet lovers continue to inspire us to create safer, healthier, and higher-quality options every day — all rooted in being Human Grade and gently prepared to maintain the natural goodness in our pristine raw ingredients.”

Today, The Honest Kitchen remains the worlds first human-grade pet food brand, available at major retailers including PetSmart, Petco, and Chewy. Postins commitment to high-quality, whole-food nutrition continues to reshape pet health and inspire a new generation of pet owners.