ChefPaw is a machine designed to prepare homemade dog food. The appliance aims to provide an alternative to store-bought dog food, focusing on fresh ingredients tailored to individual pet dietary needs — and saving a ton of money along the way. It turns out that fresh-ingredient food for your four-legged furbaby is hella expensive, and ChefPaw wants to make it easier to make your own.
ChefPaw operates by adding fresh ingredients into the machine, which then mixes and cooks the food at lower temperatures, a process taking approximately 40 minutes. The manufacturer claims this method helps retain more nutrients compared to some traditional cooking methods. The machine can roughly chop the food to take the shape of usual dog food, or blend it more smoothly for pets that have difficulties eating after surgery, for example.
The ChefPaw appliance is simple to use: Dump in the ingredients and 40 minutes later you have a batch of fresh dog food. Image Credits: TechCrunch / Haje Kamps
“The appliance pays for itself in less than three months, even for those with a small dog, considering its cost-effectiveness. However, the real value lies beyond just the financial aspect; it’s in the nutritional benefits. This device offers a swift way to enhance a dog’s nutrition. For instance, I used it to address my Bulldog’s skin allergy issues, which I’ve struggled with for five years,” says Matt Terrill, founder at ChefPaw, in an interview with TechCrunch at CES 2024. “The ability to modify recipes one at a time was instrumental in identifying and managing my dog’s food allergies. This kind of precise dietary adjustment isn’t feasible with commercial dog foods, where requesting specific ingredient changes, such as substituting chicken for venison, is impossible.”
One of the features highlighted by the manufacturer is ChefPaw’s nutrition analyzer. This function allows users to evaluate ingredients and potentially substitute expensive ones for more affordable options, without compromising nutritional quality. ChefPaw also includes a companion app, providing recipe options, including those formulated by veterinarians. The app draws nutritional information from the USDA database and can store profiles for multiple pets, allowing customization of recipes according to each pet’s needs. The app also includes a community feature for sharing recipes and tips among users, and tools for helping find recipes to help avoid allergens and ingredients your pup doesn’t like.
The ChefPaw sells for $640, and is available online from the company’s website.
