I f I were being slightly whimsical, I suppose I could say I abandoned the world of dog eat dog for what a dog eats!" said Liz Nuttall, managing director of Oxford-based pet food company Organipets.

For many years, Liz had a high-powered job in the City, one which she describes as pretty tough and hard-nosed. Husband John was a sales director.

The inspiration for Organipets, which offers British sourced and manufactured organic pet food, was their dog Raffy, the Nuttall's rescued Jack Russell terrier.

Four years ago, Raffy was diagnosed with terminal lymphoma and given three months to live. Determined to make Raffy's final days as comfortable as possible, Liz echoed their own diet and began feeding the dog pure organic food.

"I had no recipe to follow," explained Liz. "So I just used human grade organic meat, vegetables and rice or pasta.' Raffy went into remission and even at 14, is still bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

In late 2006, the family moved to Oxford from London. Their new vet was astounded to find the little terrier still in remission, something he could attribute only to the organic diet. He suggested that Liz and John start a business and Organipets was born.

The couple's initial research suggested there was a market, so bravely, they took the plunge and gave up their full-time jobs.

The first task was to find a top-class animal nutritionist and more than 30 years of experience is now behind the recipes.

The heart of the product is human-grade organic chicken, with organic rice and herbs for dogs and just rice for cats. Wheat and gluten free, the food is hypoallergenic and rich in Omega 3 and 6. There are no artificial additives, flavours or preservatives. The cat food is fortified with taurine, a vitamin essential to a feline's well-being.

"Ours is not the only organic pet food out there, but we don't use soya, others do,"

Liz said.

Soya is apparently a cheap protein, but her nutritionist warned against it, as animals cannot digest soya and it leads to diarrhoea and flatulence. Organipets use more chicken instead, but this increases the production costs and lessens the company's margin. Nonetheless, Organipets food retails at a comparable price to any other high-grade pet food.

"Of course we want to make money, but we want to do it ethically. All our ingredients are sourced in Britain, our manufacture is the same and our new recyclable packaging is British, too. And we are accredited as an ethical company by the Ethical Company Organisation."

Liz and John started from scratch and with no knowledge of the pet food industry. Finding a suitable British manufacturer was very difficult and they eventually shortlisted two from the hundreds available.

Based in the north west, this company is fully-equipped for organic production and has organic farmers and growers certification. It has tested the Organipets foods to ensure they comply with all the pet food regulations.

Organipets gauged the reaction to their products at a local kennels. The feedback was that the dogs and cats loved the foods and many of the excitable animals were much calmer, too.

A cat which had suffered a heart defect and narrowing of the arteries since birth showed a massive improvement after switching to Organipets.

Encouraged, Liz and John exhibited at the Natural and Organic Product Show at Olympia in April. They received an enthusiastic response and enquiries from more than 500 buyers.

Liz said: "We could achieve some quick wins by approaching all the major supermarket chains, but that is not what we want to do, we want to start with local pet shops, corner stores and delis and gradually expand. That said, we took the decision to try Waitrose because of its strong ethical reputation."

"Being new to retail, we knew nothing of how to go about it, so we found the name of the pet food buyer and knocked on his door. We expected a hard sell and it was anything but. He loved the product, he loved the story and from October, we are in 65 stores as a trial. If it goes well, that will increase to 160. Waitrose negotiated a keen price, but they have bent over backwards to help us. It is really quite a coup!"

At present, Organipets customer base is independent shops and farm shops within a 20-30 mile radius of Oxford. Once again, the products, the story and Raffy's shining eyes have clinched the sales and a high volume of repeat orders. Soon London and other major UK cities will be targeted, with a move into Europe in late 2008.

Organipets sponsors West Oxford Animal Rescue, based at Wheatley, supplying free food. The rescue centre takes any animal and relies on donations and its charity shop to pay the bills.

"We chose West Oxford as part of our pledge to making a difference," Liz explained. "What we do makes a direct impact and when you see the dedication of the people who spend all their spare time caring for the animals, it makes it all worthwhile. There is an advert on the back of our Waitrose packaging about West Oxford Animal Rescue, so that should bring publicity about what they do and be a great help to them."

Liz and John's enterprise is at present truly a cottage industry, with food delivered in sacks to their home, then repackaged and distributed to local businesses. When the Waitrose contract starts, food will be shipped direct from the manufacturer while Liz and John are taking over a small industrial unit to service local customers.

Future plans include food for other animals such as horses and the whole life stage range for dogs and cats in different flavours.

The proof of the pudding is, of course, in the eating. My two cats are fussiness personified, but eagerly devoured the Organipets food.

Liz Nuttall can be contacted on 0845 3880935, or visit the website: www.organipets.co.uk