What happens when you cross a personal chef with a hungry pet? Sonny Nation dog food company

Ricky Acain is like a Major League Baseball player batting 1.000 a week into April. It's early in the season, but the feat is still noteworthy.

Rather than playing baseball, Acain, 43, of Bristol, is in the dog food business.

The founder, owner, cook, purchaser, packer, marketer and delivery boy for Sonny Nation Dog Food Co., Acain has had 70 customers sign up for the weekly home delivery service he started a year ago. All 70 are still with him.

“My retention rate is 100%,” Acain, a personal chef for a Newport billionaire, said with a laugh recently. (As part of his work agreement, Acain cannot divulge the name of the billionaire he works for.)

Acain can divulge the name of his beloved dog. In fact, he does so anytime anyone hears or reads about his dog food company. Nation is his 11-year-old dog, a female. Sonny, his other beloved canine pal, died two years ago at age 13. “My No.1 guy,” Acain said.

How Sonny Nation natural dog food company was born

Three years ago, troubled by his dogs' digestion issues, Acain, then living in Middletown, started adding beef and chicken and vegetables to the kibble and canned food he was using. Excited by his dogs' enthusiasm for the pumped-up chow, he decided to take things to a new level. He did more research, jotted down his thoughts on a notepad at the kitchen table, and voila, he had his own dog-food recipes featuring the beef and chicken, as well as turkey, kale, spinach, quinoa, carrots and salmon oil.

Nation and Sonny loved it.

Acain loved the results: An notable energy boost. A shiny coat. Bye-bye to digestive issues. Now when he brings Nation to the vet, it's all good news. “They can't find anything wrong with her,” he said.

Launching a dog food brand

Convinced his recipes looked better than those of the large companies he saw advertising on television, he decided to create a local brand. He emphasizes that Sonny Nation Dog Food is fresh and local.

He shared his product with family and friends, and with his billionaire client. A neighbor bought seven pounds. The feedback was very positive. Acain sensed he was on to something.

Last summer, Acain took his Sonny Nation Dog Food to the masses.

He started the delivery service. In the summer, he sold at the popular Aquidneck Growers Market on Memorial Boulevard in Newport. He's hooked up with the Market on Broadway in Newport, which is where he also now cooks and stores his dog food.

“It never sits around on a shelf,” he said. “We make it every week.”

What customers have to say

One day at the Aquidneck Growers Market, Newport resident Melanie Hill, frustrated by her mini-labradoodle Oliver's finicky eating habits, bought some Sonny Nation. Oliver had a history of eating a particular dog food for a while and then completely turning off to it. Then he'd repeat it with another food. And another.

When Hill filled Oliver's bowl with Sonny Nation, life changed. “He eats every meal. He waits for his food,” Hill said. “Now I have two dogs – I started with one – and this is all I feed them now. It's been a year and he's never turned his nose up at it.”

How Sonny Nation food deliveries work

Acain cooks, vacuum-seals and freezes his dog food. Delivery customers are provided with coolers, which Acain fills weekly.

A graduate of Rogers High School and holder of a master's degree in business, Acain, single, started working in restaurant kitchens when he was 14. He's been a chef in Boston and San Diego. For eight years, he worked at The Mooring in Newport.

He remains busy as a personal chef. And even though the dog food business eats up another 30-plus hours per week, he said actually it pumps him up.

“I get so much out of it. When I wake up, it's the first thing I think about,” he said. “My customers tell me how happy their dogs are.”

As of now, Acain delivers, for free, each Thursday across Rhode Island. He gets some delivery help from his mom, dad and sister, who especially enjoy the early-morning deliveries.

He anticipates that in the next six months, he'll begin shipping the pet food as well.

He said he's in the process of drafting a business plan to present to potential investors to grow the business. “Eventually,” he said, “we want to grow enough to sell this product to large retailers like Walmart and also to local pet food stores.”

Acain's www.sonnynation.com wesbite includes a feeding guide with frequently asked questions. Customers and prospective customers may call 401-862-8799.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Sonny Nation natural dog food created by RI personal chef