Faces of women-led businesses: Karen Blanchard

Karen Blanchard, owner of Natural Paws Pantry, shares her unique perspective on what it takes to build and sustain a successful venture

London Inc. is proud to present its inaugural look at some of the city’s leading female owned and/or operated businesses and the faces that run them. Twenty-four women who are shaping industries, redefining entrepreneurship and inspiring generations of women to come, share the challenges they’ve overcome, what they attribute their success to and what it takes to build and scale a brand.

Karen Blanchard
Owner
Natural Paws Pantry
519-474-6669 • naturalpaws.ca

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Leaving behind a career in the legal industry where she had worked for almost two decades, Karen Blanchard opened Natural Paws Pantry in 2012 with a mission to make it easy for pet owners in the London area to source healthy food options and supplements.

“My professional journey started with looking for healthy food options for my two golden retrievers,” Blanchard explains. “It turned out to be quite a difficult undertaking to find high-quality, healthy Canadian products. It was quite apparent there was a definite need, and I decided this would be my niche.”

Taking almost a year from conception to launch, plenty of research was done to ensure that the best raw foods, grain free kibbles, supplements and natural treats made it to the shelves. And in support of the Canadian economy, the greater part of products sold at Natural Paws are Canadian made, the majority from Ontario.

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“We take pride in selling Canadian products and in supporting local producers,” Blanchard says, “and I have been fortunate to have excellent staff who have had a similar ­philosophy regarding a nutritional diet and who care about animals and their welfare.”