Grow. Innovate. Connect.

Let's Connect.

Join us at Connect, the Canadian platform for collaboration and innovation in the pet industry!

We are dedicated to bringing together Canadian and global pet industry leaders-including manufacturers, retailers, and suppliers-to foster strong relationships and drive success.

At Connect, you'll find invaluable opportunities for networking, education, and dialogue, all designed to help pet businesses thrive in an ever-evolving market. Our Connect Tool Box vendors and expert speakers are here to share powerful insights and strategies to help you grow your business.

This event is more than just a gathering-it's a community committed to empowering retailers

with the knowledge, skills, and connections they need to succeed. We advocate for innovative solutions and ensure retailers have access to brands that truly support them.

Built by pet professionals, Connect values your input! We invite you to share your vision and insights to make this experience even more impactful for your business. Join us in shaping the future of the pet industry-let’s grow together!

Connect:

A B2B pet trade event celebrating the Canadian pet industry hosted and created with a team that is 100% built with individuals and vendors from the Canadian Pet Industry.

Connect Lounge

Attendees and Exhibitors can enjoy all the amenities of the Connect Lounge. A spacious seating area with beverages, charging stations and plenty of seating area for impromptu meetings.

Education Stage

Connect brings 2 days of educational talks to attendees. Visitors will hear from Jennifer Murray, Jordan Milgrom, and financial advice through RBC, Moneris and ADP.

Fresh Food Showcase

A highlight of the show is Connect's Fresh Food Showcase featuring a variety of frozen and gently cooked products from many of the Connect Exhibitors. Thanks to Habco for the great looking freezer setup.

Connect Live

Thursday night features Connect Live at the NFCC with the Orange Man Band. The evening will kick off with $10,000 in cash giveaways to retailers and exhibitors.

Tilted Barn Pet

Tilted Barn Pet

June 24, 20243 min read

Meet Kim Good and Nicole Porterfield. The women behind the doors at Tilted Barn Pet Co, a Farm Fresh Pet Foods Inc brand. Kim and Nicole met when Nicole was hired as a summer student for Farm Fresh Pet Foods in 2005. Farm Fresh Pet Foods was a little more than a farmer's market brand and Kim was an appointed family member distributor. The 2 clicked immediately and have morphed into each other's left arms. In the spring of 2007, Matt, the original owner of Farm Fresh Pet Foods told Kim and Nicole that he wasn't going to continue with the business. He had other endeavor's he worked on (he was a rancher and engineer). The ladies immediately called each other and said "what are we going to feed our dogs?" followed by "We should take it over. How hard could it be?" Famous last words. They joke now that they will write a book called "Too stupid to quit", followed by the sequel "It was worth it".

The business was a project that was on the corner of their desks. They worked on it late into the evenings, on weekends and during nap time while they were raising babies. During those wee hours the business started to grow. In the winter of 2017, Kim, an agronomist by trade, had come to a crossroad. Farm Fresh Pet Foods was becoming busier, and she needed to decide one or the other. The possibility and excitement of the pet industry is what gave her faith to leap. Nicole was currently on maternity leave with her second baby. Nicole and Kim were on the phone and Kim said to Nicole "are we going to do this? Or are we going to DO this?" They dove in feet first. Some big modifications were made to the product line up, put a huge focus on customer service and they set out to achieve some big goals. The ladies started knocking on doors and picking up the phone to making good old fashioned sales calls. Some serious traction started. In the fall of 2018 they were granted their permit to export to the United States. Even with the potential of the availability they really focused on growing in their own backyard and homed in on getting their products in pet specialty stores across Canada.

In the summer of 2022 the brand was refreshed to Tilted Barn Pet Co. There is a company in the USA with the same name as Farm Fresh Pet Foods and there was some crossing over occurring in the pet industry. It came at a great time as the name Farm Fresh Pet Foods was inherited to Kim and Nicole and they really felt Tilted Barn Pet Co was fresh, fun and really was a better representation of them and the brand.

Tilted Barn Pet Company is located in the heart of the Canadian prairies in Carstairs, Alberta. Tilted Barn Pet Company proudly makes delectable, meaty treats for dogs with clean and simple Canadian ingredients, all sourced from the Canadian food market. Our treats are made in small batches, we use quality ingredients and only single source proteins. Tilted Barn Pet Co products are sold at pet specialty across Canada and the USA.

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