We were lucky to catch up with Martha Santos recently and have shared our conversation below.

Martha, appreciate you joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

I have a PhD in biochem and am very familiar with proteins and how they are the building blocks of life, so naturally when I bought my own shiba home, I was passionate about what fueled him. From the get go, my puppy, Miru, was very picky and would only take premium quality food. Miru can be reactive in higher traffic environments and fearful around some people he doesn’t know, but those fears fade away when we’re outdoors.

He becomes so confident and full of life in nature. It became pretty indisputable that it was my dog’s happy place and by extension mine. I knew I wanted to keep having these experiences and creating these memories with my dog for as long as I could, but I also knew that active dogs tend to slow down a few years earlier than their indoor counterparts due to the added stress on their bodies, and the thought of my dog hitting his senior years and no longer being able to enjoy his happy place broke my heart.

So I did what I did best, I researched. How could I combat this inevitability? What I learned was by starting the prevention early and consistently while addressing where the energy was being pulled from dogs during high intensity activities and what the cost on their joints was I was able to develop a formulation that would give dogs that optimal energy replenishment from animal-based fats and promote joint health from animal cartilage and tendons. I wanted a product that was transparent and clean label, and so I set out to make our first bars.

I made a lot of test batches before finally settling on our final recipe. To be honest, I wasn’t sure how worthwhile this idea of mine was back then. I just knew my dog needed it and it didn’t exist, so surely a few other dog parents would feel similarly. It wasn’t until our launch day did I start to have an inkling that this could be a viable business.

Martha, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Ryōken Instinct is a community-focused brand inspiring four-legged adventurers to create cherished memories outside their home with their owners by fueling them with products that promote active energy replenishment and joint health.

Our hero product is our Ruku Bars (lovingly named after the inspiration of our business, my shiba Miruku). Ruku Bars are the ultimate canine energy bar formulated specifically for energy replenishment and joint health in active dogs.

Active dogs tend to slow down a few years earlier than their indoor counterparts due to the added stress on their bodies, and the thought of not being able to create memories with our dogs is heartbreaking and I’m sure something every owner can relate to, so by feeding our bars to your dog you can prolong their vitality into their senior years.

Our recipes are designed to specifically address energy loss and joint recovery in active canines, which is not something any other product in the marketplace can claim. Ruku bars boast a higher fat content to give your dog the most nutrient dense and biologically appropriate option in the marketplace. Our bars also have a unique waffling pattern that has a “satisfying snap-off” quality to regulate and track calorie intake with ease resembling something of a chocolate bar.

Animal based fats are the optimal energy source for dogs. I developed a formulation that would give dogs optimal energy replenishment from animal-based fats and promote joint health from animal cartilage and tendons. I included ingredients known as canine superfoods that also contain dextrose that give our bars quick-energy release properties. I designed this product to be fed during and after high intensity activities to combat joint deterioration and give dogs an optimal energy source for calorie loss.

We recognize the meat industry is largely responsible for global carbon emissions. We combat this in our business through our product sourcing. We take huge pride in that our ingredients are from local family farms and fisheries that practice regenerative farming and sustainable fishing practices. To Ryoken’s core, we believe that performance shouldn’t cost the planet and that’s reflected in all our business products and practices.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Oh, this one is easy! Despite only being a month into our business, Awoo Adventures had to make an unexpected shift when we were served with a cease and desist. The term “Awoo” had been trademarked by another business in the dog space.

We had to scrap all the work that went into building our branding prior to launch. Our brand story, imaging, positioning was all scrapped. From that setback, Ryōken Instinct was born in its place—and it couldn’t have been better suited for us! We found clarity of voice amongst our competitors, helping us to stand out and really hone in on what our business’s values are.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Our reputation in the market was built on Transparency- by letting our audience into each step of our process, an intimate bond formed between us and those that support us. Our commitment to share not just successes but also failures created an atmosphere where people wanted to cheer for our success every single time! Beyond simply lifting the hood on Ryoken’s inner workings, we’ve shared details such as manufacturing processes, suppliers used – everything needed so they can truly feel a part of it all. In that spirit of transparency, customers were able to feel confidence in the quality of our products knowing exactly where ingredients came from and just what was inducing drool in their pups!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ryokeninstinct.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/ryokeninstinct
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/ryokeninstinct
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/ryokeninstinct
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/ryokeninstinct