Yummypets - it’s a cute name but no, we don’t eat our pets. From its humble beginnings in a small office in Bordeaux, France, today Yummypets is the largest online ‘social petwork’ connecting more than 1.3M pet parents around the world. Come read about our journey!
Here at Yummypets we believe that all pets are utterly scrumptious... Just not "in a hot dog" kind of way! Our love of pets has been long-lived, so much so that we decided to create a ‘social petwork’ dedicated entirely to sharing that love between pets and their pet parents. You.
Let’s take you through the journey of how Yummypets came to be.
The Yummypets story
The year was 2011 and a cat named Léo ignited the flame. Bordeaux-based entrepreneurs, Matthieu Glayrouse and Mathieu Chollon always knew there was something special between humans and animals. But thanks to Léo, they began to visualise this connection in a whole new way.
As any pet parent will tell you, there is nothing quite like the human-pet bond. Matthieu and Mathieu decided that this bond needed to be captured in a way that created a sense of belonging and community amongst like-minded pet enthusiasts. Ultimately, there existed a social-based need for pet parents to share and engage with one another. Thus the birth of Yummypets began.
In the first month of going live, an impressive 650 enthusiastic pet parents signed-up to the online platform. The response confirmed Matthieu's and Mathieu's intuition - Yummypets was needed!
Léo with one of his first instalments of Yummypets!
More than just a 'Facebook' for pets and their parents
The best way we can describe Yummypets is much like that of Facebook (although we think we're the lux edition, of course!).
In late 2011, the Yummypets platform was a simple one. Pet parents could create their pet's profile, give 'likes' (or 'yummies') to other profiles and pictures, and manage their newsfeed. Sounds familiar right? But with time the platform evolved.
Pet parents began creating teams, celebrating birthdays, requesting a mobile application, asking for pet-related information, and even voting on one another's pictures. (The latter was dubbed Yummy or Not and today remains Yummypets' most well-known and loved contest).
Yummypets today
Fast forward almost eight years and Yummypets is more than a simple social network platform. Available in French, English and Spanish on both desktop and mobile platforms, a quick visit to the website shows the extensive network of news, information, photos, videos, contests, forums, nearby vets, and more. Additionally, in December 2018, Yummypets launched its first ever print magazine in France with a whole new array of stories, information, photos, and more.
Truth be told, Yummypets really is the one-stop shop for people who know and live the #petlife.
A social petwork for pets worldwide
Being a French company, 65% of Yummypals hail from the land of wine, cheese, and baguette. However, the balance of scales is tipping as pets from all over the world continue to paw away at that figure, sharing and engaging in a variety of languages.
Pets from other countries yapping, meowing, squeaking, tweeting and neighing their way onto the Yummypets platform include those from the U.S.A., Canada, U.K., western and eastern Europe, Australia, numerous Asiatic countries, and even the smallest of islands. It's a dynamic community of love and acceptance!
Above all, Léo remains the face of Yummypets, playing a vital role as the key community manager for French members. He provides a friendly welcome to all new pets, interacts with the community, answers questions, launches new competitions, and more. Meanwhile, his hamster sidekick Chewy looks after the English-speaking community, as well as many other languages.
Yummypets features
Creating a profile is the first step when joining Yummypets. Your pet becomes the star of the show and through which you (sorry, we mean they) communicate with other pets. This is done via photos, videos, status updates, comments, private messages, and more.
Within their profile, key information about your pet includes the type and/breed of animal, date of birth, country, favourite food, favourite toy, favourite place, silliest trait, and so on. Furthermore, you can also include a short overview describing a little more about your pet - where they came from, their personality, other family members, etc. From here, you and your pet have access to a world of fun and information, including:
- Oodles of pet photos and videos
- The latest pet news
- Tips and advice on health, nutrition, behaviour, and different breeds
- Year-round contests
- Access to the member's forum
- Teams
- Fun facts
- Fund-raising
- And more!
Superstars
While we think all pets are superstars, it's not uncommon to find those on Yummypets who really do live the superstar life. You might have already stumbled across two of Canada's most famous felines, namely Atchoum the Cat and The Oreo Cat. But in fairness, your pet doesn't need Instagram or Facebook to become a star - Yummypets does that for you from the beginning!
So, if you're looking to give your pet their own communication channel, have a world of fun with other pets and their parents, and learn a whole lot more about your pet's health and happiness, come join the Yummypets community - we promise you and your fur/furless/scaly/feathery baby won't be disappointed!
Download the Yummypets app now!
Patricia C