GourMate Info

GourMate

Values:

being as good as humanly possible to our pets
help pet parents make better choices for people and the planet too
proudly New Zealand owned and operated
share the benefits of our country's innovative farming practices and more sustainable fisheries management, plus strong labour laws and human rights standards, with the world.

Community:

female run company with a strong sense of social responsibility
raw materials are locally sourced and batch processed in Christchurch
care and share with local charities through the donation of treats, financial support, and awareness raising
honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi, the founding document of New Zealand

Planet:

only source organic, wild, or low density free range proteins from premium local suppliers
in particular, Green Lipped Mussels are one of the most sustainable animal proteins available and a great choice for pet parents looking to reduce their environmental footprint

"Human grade":

the raw ingredients (or ingredient in the case of these treats)
(it is not uncommon for pet foods and pet treats to contain food scraps, livestock rejected by human food processing, and by-products such as skin, bones and guts - some of which even requires further processing to be considered safe for animals. These can have less nutritional value and are often harder to digest than muscle and organs and often have sugar and fat added to give it more flavour.)
the processing of human food is far stricter than that of pet food
made at a New Zealand factory that processes human food and nutritional supplements to export standards
only the most nutritious, safe, and easily digestible whole proteins - that are also naturally delicious - for our pets
commitment to sourcing premium meat and seafood of human food grade standard - food from the same suppliers as your supermarkets and restaurants - processed in an industry leading facility

Freeze Dried:

Freeze drying is as close to raw and wild as you and your dog can get without having slimy fish or meat-flavoured pockets.
Freeze drying uses vacuum pressure and the process of sublimation (going straight from a solid to a gas with no liquid stage in between) to remove water from food without needing heat.
Prolonged heating - whether through cooking, air drying, or dehydrating - will always break down some of the beneficial vitamins, minerals, and oils from your dogs' food.
Only freeze drying produces a shelf-stable dog treat with all the drool-worthy flavour and important nutritional value of raw food.

Mussels - freeze dried?

Green Lipped Mussels from New Zealand (Perna canaliculus) have superfood properties that support the reduction of inflammation and joint pain, but research has shown that heat from cooking and preserving breaks down these properties.
Let us be honest - if you're buying Green Lipped Mussels for your dogs that have either been cooked (including air drying) or had the oil removed (we call that "defatted" in the biz) then you're providing a tasty treat but missing out on the famous health benefits.
GourMate treats are freeze dried at a biotechnology facility in Christchurch, New Zealand, that has expertise in processing Green Lipped Mussels for the (human) health and nutraceutical industry.

Recycle Guide:

The packaging has been chosen to keep the human grade freeze-dried dog treats fresh, crisp and healthy, but also to have material that can be recycled in many flexible plastic programs around the world.
New Zealand | Recyclable in the Soft Plastics Recycling bins at participating locations.