Sawyer joins the family—and refuses to eat kibble. A former forensic accountant, Kristin leans on her investigative skills, and the research begins.
About Tom&Sawyer
Gently-cooked meals for your four-legged family
We were disappointed by what we learned about the unregulated pet food industry in Canada, so we wanted to do better for Sawyer. We started Tom&Sawyer to create the highest quality all-natural, gently-cooked, science-backed nutritious meals for Sawyer, and all of our special family pets. Our company is based on integrity accountability and transparency, so pet parents can be confident making the best health decisions for their furry family members.
Read the science
It started at home
It all started when our founders Kristin and Peter brought home Sawyer. The little Yorkie-Poo refused to eat kibble, and with one look at the ingredients list, Kristin and Peter couldn’t blame him. Plus, they thought, if it smells this bad, it must taste this bad, too! We’re pretty sure that’s a fact, but you couldn’t pay us to try kibble. Instead, we’re upping the standards in the pet food industry.
Once a forensic accountant, Kristin put her investigative skills to good use, and what she learned upset her: With so few Canadian regulations in the industry, our pets are ingesting highly-processed synthetic ingredients and bacteria at every meal that make them sick. Like you, she wanted better for Sawyer. She wanted to prevent illness and pricey vet bills, not guarantee them. And so, Tom&Sawyer was born: All-natural, gently cooked meals made by hand.
Meet Sawyer
Our inspiration since 2014
Meet Sawyer, the reason why Tom&Sawyer exists. Our founders’ 10-pound Yorkie-Poo with the confidence of a 100-pound Great Dane. He struts when he walks, smiles when he meets new people (he brings so much love to people), and knows all of his toys by name. (Yeah, he’s one smart cookie.)
We’re pretty sure Sawyer was a cat in a past life, what with his penchant for napping on the back of couches. Apart from a general disdain for the mail carrier and big dogs, he’s the friendliest, happiest pup a parent could ask for and the cutest mascot to rep our brand.
The timeline
2014
2015
Tom&Sawyer is born. Working with chefs, nutritionists, vets and labs, we formulate nutritionally-balanced, delicious recipes for pets.
2016
We open our flagship storefront in Toronto, housing our state-of-the-art commercial kitchen—a first in the industry in Canada.
2017
We release the first of our therapeutic recipes for dogs with specific nutritional needs and dietary requirements.
2018
Our commercial kitchen becomes an FDA-registered facility, and we start shipping meals to the United States.
2019
Inundated with retailer requests across Canada, we launch our brand with hundreds of premium pet retailers across Canada.
2020
More Science! We built out our in-house science and nutrition teams, expanding our research and recipe development processes.
2021
Based on our extensive R&D and culinary team insights, and customer feedback, we launch a new menu of updated therapeutic and humanized meals for both dogs and cats!
2022
We launched our new online store enabling a new flexible subscription meal plan experience for customers.
2023
We became the first pet food brand in Canada to be 100% AAFCO Human-Grade, by moving from our original kitchen to a Safe Food for Canadians licensed human food facility.
Our leadership
The people behind your pet food
As pet people and foodies, we come by this work honestly. Take our founders, for example: Not only do they boast molecular gastronomy equipment in their home kitchen, they travel the world in the name of 3-star Michelin restaurants, adding countries to their bucket list because of an ingredient they’re dying to try. It’s no wonder they bring the same foodie standards to every Tom&Sawyer recipe.
Kristin Matthews
Co-Founder & President
Peter Zakarow
Co-Founder & Board Chair
Hannah Godfrey
MSc. Animal nutrition (PH.D Candidate)Customer education Specialist
Dr. Kelly Swanson
Ph.D., Animal Nutrition & Nutrigenomics ExpertRecipe Development Consultant & Advisory Board Member
Dr Joe Inglis, BVSc MRCVS
Veterinarian and Nutrition ExpertAdvisory Board Member
Mischa Kapp
Certified Red Seal Chef, Culinary Science and Innovation Consultant & Advisory Board Member
Food for thought
We were so disheartened (and, ahem, disgusted) by the lack of regulations in the pet food industry, we founded the Fresh Cooked Pet Food Alliance (FCPFA) to set the industry standard for accountability, transparency and integrity.
