LAS VEGAS — When Eric Adams talks about pet food, he inevitably talks about his grandmother. Her kitchen, he recalls, was a place where nothing went to waste. “She could make anything out of almost nothing,” he said. “That mindset of upcycling is baked into the DNA of this company.”
That company is Dog & Whistle, a carbon-neutral pet food startup built on the premise that scraps rescued from restaurants and food distributors can be transformed into high-quality meals for dogs. What began as a chef’s experiment in sustainable cooking has grown into an ambitious digital-age enterprise: one reshaped by payment technologies, online marketplaces, and the emerging rules of digital trade.
Digital Payments at the Core of a Modern Supply Chain
Nearly 90 percent of Dog & Whistle’s transactions run through digital payment platforms, primarily Stripe for subscription customers and QuickBooks for invoicing. For a business that rescues, prepares, and delivers fresh food weekly, the speed of digital payments is not just convenient — it is existential.
“Cash flow is everything,” Adams said. “We don’t always have a cushion. Getting paid instantly can make or break whether we can fulfill our next order.”
The traditional 48- to 72-hour settlement period for small businesses, he argues, no longer fits the realities of modern entrepreneurship. “If there’s one thing policymakers should focus on, it’s speed,” he said. “Faster access to funds is the heart of a small business.”
The Promise and Strain of Selling Everywhere at Once
Dog & Whistle now operates across a patchwork of digital and physical channels, such as its own website, Amazon, Walmart.com, subscription boxes, ghost kitchens and DoorDash.
Digital platforms offer visibility, reach, and opportunities that didn’t exist a decade ago. TikTok attracts younger dog owners. Instagram and Facebook pull in millennials and older buyers. YouTube Shorts, a recent experiment, is helping the company tell longer-form stories about sustainability and sourcing.
AI tools, he added, now serve as a sounding board for marketing ideas, flyers and customer engagement strategies
What Small Businesses Need Now
Asked what would help small firms compete internationally, Adams offered three priorities:
- Faster access to funds
“Immediate payment access isn’t a luxury — it’s survival.” - Clear, transparent cross-border data rules
“Whatever the policy is, consumers need to understand it. Don’t hide it in fine print.” - Support navigating tariffs and export requirements
“We don’t have compliance departments. Helping us understand tariffs and trade rules would make international expansion more realistic.”
These concerns echo those of entrepreneurs across the country who are increasingly reliant on digital infrastructure yet often locked out of policy conversations that shape it.
A Founder’s Roadmap: Perseverance and Purpose
Before Dog & Whistle, Adams trained in culinary school and worked in restaurants. His pivot to pet food was driven by his belief that sustainability could be delicious and commercially viable.
As for advice to other first time founders, he said: “Just stick with it. There were so many times I wanted to quit, but I kept learning. There are so many tools now that didn’t exist before. Use them.”
That combination of pragmatism and idealism now defines the company’s future.
A Mission Poised to Scale
“With sustainability becoming global, it’s our time to shine,” Adams said. “We’re not just building a dog food brand — we’re building a dog brand.”
Thanks to digital platforms, Dog & Whistle is preparing to take its mission abroad, one upcycled meal at a time.