Max & Rosy — our story
It started with a Sunday market.
Jacques’ grandmother suggested they sell something at the markets she attended. That was the start. The plan after that? Still very much a work in progress.
01 — Sell what?
A market brainstorm
Jacques and his mom Maliska started brainstorming. Eventually they Googled things to sell at markets and stumbled across dog treats.
It was not the most sophisticated market research, but it was research.
02 — Meet the taste testers
The original quality-control team
Max and Rosy became the original unpaid quality-control team. Their job: taste everything, look hopeful, and never ask about the benefits package.
03 — A lot of bad batches
A lot of bad batches
There were recipes to test, batches that did not make the cut, and plenty of ‘just try this one more’ moments until we finally made treats we were happy to sell.
04 — Then we went to market
The first market
We packaged the first batch, took it to market and learned that making something is one thing; getting people to buy it is another.
Then we started giving dogs free samples.
Give the dogs free samples. AND
The dogs did the selling for us.
05 — Things got serious
From weekends to our own business
Weekend markets grew into retailers, better packaging, registrations, production and deliveries.
Real food. Made simple.
Max & Rosy is a South African dog food and treat brand built around a simple idea: Dogs deserve real food too.
We make simple, locally produced food and treats using ingredients you can actually recognise, without making feeding your dog more complicated than it needs to be. Our products look and smell like actual food because they’re made from real ingredients. We focus on simple recipes, human-grade ingredients and local production rather than another mysterious brown dog product.
06 — Then came Honde Pap
The middle ground
We wanted the middle ground between raw feeding and kibble. Real ingredients and the benefits people look for in raw-style feeding, with the added safety and convenience of properly cooked food.
Easy to serve. Easy to store. Easy to travel with. No freezer. No complicated meal prep.
That became Honde Pap.
Real food. Made simple.
And no, it’s not really cereal for dogs.
07 — A family business
Built by family
What started with Jacques and Maliska has grown into a family business, with Jacques’ brother Arno now involved full-time.
We’re still small. We’re still learning. We’re far from done.
08 — Made here
Made in the Western Cape
Max & Rosy started in the Western Cape, South Africa. We care about local production, real ingredients and supporting local farmers and suppliers where we can.
09 — The big goal
1,000,000 dogs.
550 dogs fed so far
We want to help feed one million dogs across South Africa through shelters and rescue centres.
Yes, it sounds slightly ridiculous. Then again, this business started because a grandmother suggested selling something at a Sunday market.
