Different proteins will vary in chunkiness too based on the types of ingredients we use and the nature of the protein. Beef is generally the chunkiest, then turkey, and duck & chicken are tied. The “harder” muscles like gizzards and hearts will also stay chunkier.
Fine grinding our bone is also the reason we don’t have a chunky version of our rabbit recipe. The main ingredient in that is whole rabbit so even if we wanted to leave the other ingredients chunky, you really wouldn’t see them.
I gotta admit, this recipe was shockingly easy! Also my first time making cheese 🧀
Ingredients
🧂 1/2 gallon milk
🍋 1/4 cup lime juice
🧂 1/2 tsp salt
You can either bake them at 150-170F or put them in a dehydrator at that temp for a few hours. The larger you cut the blocks, the longer it takes to dry & harden.
Adapted from @rodneyhabib
Well that’s enough honesty….and judgement for today.
It's hard to believe 2024 is coming to an end. The year was undeniably a challenge but it’s also shaped who we are as a business and as people. We’ve made a year-end video every year since we started and it’s always such a bittersweet process to scroll through the camera roll starting all the way back in January. There’s always these little moments that you forgot and get to relive.
This year has felt like such a blur and it feels like there’s so many goals we haven’t yet accomplished. But being reminded of where we started and where we are now, I can’t help but feel proud of how far we’ve come. So here’s to a 2025 filled with more growth, more learnings, and memories that will last a lifetime. See you all there 🐱🐶
All birds are in enclosed barns to prevent wildlife contact
Protective equipment such as a full gown, hairnet & shoe covers are required for entering the barn
Tires are spray sanitized before approaching the barn
There’s this idea that it’s always better when you manufacture everything in house but let me explain why that isn’t always the case
So first, high quality food safety system take a ton of time & money to set up. There are millions of dollars worth of equipment in our facility not to mention having the right processes in place and hiring & training people is a huge investment. We did start off making all of our food ourselves and I can 100% say that our quality is so much higher now because we have access to much better equipment and food safety processes.
We also grew Viva without any outside investors or PE firms so we just don’t have the $$$ to set up our own plant BUT we still want to use the best equipment & systems. And I can promise you, most of the fresh pet food brands (or even just food brands) you can name also use co-manufacturers for the exact same reasons.
Next, when people hear you work with a co-man, they assume that the facility is making a bunch of other products with the same ingredients & recipes and just slapping your label on it. This depends on your coman - there are definitely brands made by the same facility where the only difference is the label. But in our facility, we’re the ONLY pet food product being produced and we’re using all of our own suppliers & recipes.
Finally, people also assume you have no control if you’re not running your own facility. Again, this highly depends on the plant. We’re in the facility almost every week and we’ve worked together with them to implement a ton of procedures & changes specific to our products. It took us over a year to find a partner we trusted to make our food and was willing to let us show you all the behind the scenes that we do!
Doing everything in house probably gives you higher quality when you’re making certain types of products but it’s just not that black & white when it comes to food. We would love to have our own facility one day but for now, we’re focused
While this may seem like a lot to spend, and it undeniably is, we don’t hesitate to invest in our quality practices. The way we spend in this area has changed a lot throughout the years and also changes each month depending on what projects we’re looking at!
A lot of these items really aren’t the first things you think of when you think about what it takes to make a good food but to us, this is what makes the difference between just a food that anyone can make and a quality food. It’s not just about the final product but every step of the process that goes into what we make.
It’s the start of December and we’ve got our fingers & paws crossed for some snow this year ❄️ It really doesn’t snow much here in NC so it’s always something special to get some powder since it pretty shuts down the whole state. Have you guys already seen your first snow where you’re at?
3 oz beeswax
3 tbsp coconut oil
2 tbsp shea butter
3 tbsp olive oil
1 dropper (~10 drops) Vitamin E oil - Optional
Warm in a pan to mix and let cool in desired container.
Our pups paws are tough but the cold, snow & salt can still get to it. I don’t know why but making these paw balms just gives me such a cozy feeling. You can literally let them harden in anything - cupcake liners, mason jar lids, silicone molds etc. If you have empty chapstick tubes or mint tins lying around, even better! These were super easy to make and make for an awesome stocking stuffer for anyone looking for an easy, last minute holiday gift 😉
It’s hard to believe that Thanksgiving is just about here. And before you know it, it’ll be Christmas, New Years, then 2025. The holidays always feel like a strange time warp where it feels like things are happening at lightning speed but it also feels as if time slows to a crawl and you finally get a chance to take a breath.
This year has been a crazy one for us as I’m sure it has been for many of you guys. But at the end of the day we’re grateful. We’re grateful we get to wake up every day and work on something we have such a passion for, for our team that makes this all possible, and finally for you guys who’ve been on this journey with us. Hope you all have an amazing, warm & cozy Thanksgiving.
1/2 cup turmeric powder
1.5 cup water/broth
1/4 cup coconut oil
1.5 tsp black pepper
Stir together turmeric powder & broth over low heat until it thickens. Add coconut oil & black pepper. Let cool.
Aging is a complex process and although there’s many factors that go into it, diet plays a big role in your pet’s overall health & wellness. The test says that 77% of pets fall within 12 months of their estimated birth date so I’d consider these results pretty good!
Since we only did the test on our own pup, by no means does this test prove anything but it’s still cool to see the results we got! If any of you guys have done an age test on your pets, I’m super curious to hear about the results you’ve seen!
