Ex-P&Ger ships gourmet pet food to first Petbrosia.com customers

CINCINNATI - Keith Johnson has officially left the starting gate with his premium pet food company, Petbrosia.com.

Johnson is one of several former Procter & Gamble Co. employees who took advantage of the company’s restructuring program to launch new companies. Johnson spent 18 years with P&G, including a two-and-a-half year run as a brand manager for pet-food company Iams, ending in 2010.

Petbrosia uses proprietary algorithms to formulate a specific pet food product for every pet. Ingredients include free-run chicken, but no corn, soy or wheat gluten.

Johnson, 41, developed the company with his veterinarian wife, Vanessa, and hundreds of hours of in-home research with pet owners, according to a company release.

“Understanding both the feeding habits and purchasing rationale from hundreds of pet owners across the country was critical to the development of this product,” he said.

Johnson is forecasting first-year revenue of $3.1 million for Petbrosia, which costs $39.99 for a 10-pound bag. Johnson’s goal is to reach $22.3 million in revenue by year three.

Johnson started the company with a $50,000 investment and about $250,000 from outside investors, including $100,000 from the Dayton Region Signature Fund. Johnson has kept operating costs low by partnering with other startups to handle marketing, shipping and other services.

CoupSmart, OneMorePallet.com, OodleTech and OPM Financial Services are among his vendor-partners.