Maxx & Bruno, the company that imports only high-quality pet food, is “feeding it forward.”
The lockdown was hard on the economy, but thankfully, in these dire times, humanity stepped up, and the fortunate ones quickly mobilized to donate food and water where it was needed most. As people scrambled to help other people, one company reached out to help dogs and cats in shelters.
As people struggled to make ends meet during the enhanced community quarantine, animal shelters that rely heavily on donations suddenly noticed the donations dwindling. The concern for homeless dogs and cats became real for Luis Mercado, founder of Maxx & Bruno, early in the lockdown, especially those animals rescued by smaller, lesser-known organizations.
“The more we help each other, big or small, the sooner we will heal and recover from this,” Mercado said.
To date, Maxx & Bruno has donated around 20,000 packs to different shelters and fosters in and out of the city, including the Philippine Pet Birth Control Foundation, Cats of Manila, Cats of Salcedo, the Animal Kingdom Foundation, and more recently Pawssion Project, a Bulacan-based rescue group.
“Even during quarantine and economically challenging times, there are many Filipinos who still exude wonderful values like bayanihan and generosity,” stated the Instagram of Cats of Salcedo.
Maxx & Bruno is the distributor of Vigor & Sage, a top-quality dog food made in the Netherlands, and Halo Pet Food, a company whose investors include the outspoken animal rights activist Ellen DeGeneres. Both brands were recently reviewed by Masarap Ba?, the Instagram user famous for honest and brutal food reviews.
In for a treat
“Lasang French paté na mejo bland (dahil bawal sa cats ang salty)! Parang mas masarap pa nga sya sa ibang French paté na na-try ko sa Paris. Ang saya-saya with feta, bacon at (k)onting mayo,” wrote Masarap Ba? after tasting Halo Pet Food canned cat food.
With the donation, dogs and cats in shelters and foster care were in for a treat. Both brands are organic, gluten-free, grain-free and meat-meal free, Mercado said.
“Halo gets a lot of love because it’s like a Jamba Juice without the sugar. Looks sexy, incorporates all the probiotics you need in the food. It’s a poster child for healthy living. Vigor & Sage is the equivalent of herbal tea—medicinal in ways not prescribed by the doctor; pang royalty,” he said.
Maxx and Bruno are the names of Mercado’s pugs. Maxx, who had a heart condition and died from a heart attack four years ago, was the inspiration behind his quest for high-quality pet food. It was with this mission that led Mercado to Vigor & Sage and Halo Pet Food.
Mercado is an advocate of responsible pet parenting.
“It means two things: being financially stable to purchase the healthiest food, and knowing what goes into the food we feed our pets. Parang baby, if you can’t afford it, don’t have it,” Mercado said.
Celebrities also pooled their resources to help Mercado “feed it forward,” including, not surprisingly, animal lover Heart Evangelista, who thanked Vigor & Sage in her Instagram account.
Vigor & Sage and Halo Pet Food are available at Mog & Marley, an online organic pet food delivery company.