Kriser's Opening in Kildeer {with Brad Kriser}

Yesterday, I had the great opportunity to meet Brad Kriser, founder of the natural pet food store Kriser's. He treated me and a few other lucky area bloggers to a tour of the new store in Kildeer, Illinois. We learned a little about Brad, his passion, and the great products available at Kriser's.

Brad was first introduced to the concept of all natural foods for pets by a cousin in Colorado. After seeing the difference that all natural foods made on his own dog, he realized that some of the more common pet foods being fed to dogs are full of ingredients that are not good for optimizing our pets' health. Thus, his passion was born.

Throughout our conversation, I realized that Brad had an amazing knowledge of pet food and supplements. Each of us discussed concerns about our own pets and he was able make suggestions just off the top of his head. He also gave several for each issue--not just one. Pretty impressive!

With recent concerns about pet food items coming from China, we learned that customers can have the comfort that none of the pet food items at Kriser's come from China. In fact, Brad has approved everything in the store. Such a hands-on approach attests to how much Brad cares about pet health. He did state that some of the toys do come from China--in the toy world it is much more difficult to avoid products from China. (Parents definitely can relate to that!) However, he only gets toys from carefully selected sources.



Brad went into detail about lowering the amount of carbs in pet food and raising the amount of protein. We also learned that you should vary the types of protein in your pet's diet because each protein provides unique health benefits. Makes sense, but sometimes we fall into a pattern as we do with our own diets!

The store is very neat and organized, making browsing easy and pleasant. There is a samples section where you can pick up a few for your pet to try. Brad wants to make sure that your pet loves his or her food! (With mine, that probably is not a problem!) All of the staff is very knowledgeable and can help you understand the food and supplements. Brad explained that the stores used to offer items for pets other than cats and dogs. However, the care of these animals often is quite complicated and would be difficult for the entire staff to be trained sufficiently on. You see, Kriser's is also about education. The more knowledgeable the staff, the more they can education the consumer.

The Kriser's in Kildeer does have a number of specials during their Grand Opening celebration (March 9th-10th). Also, for this weekend, Kriser's will donate 1 lb of pet food to Orphans of the Storm for every 1 lb sold at the Kildeer store (20291 North Rand Rd).

There are Kriser's located in Chicagoland, the Denver area, and Southern California. Be sure to check Kriser's website for a location near you.

**Disclosure: I was invited to a blogger event at the new Kriser's store. No compensation was received for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.