Pet Product Development and Operational Strategy Meeting Notes

Immediate Action Items:
- Physical proofs must be received and reviewed for approval.
- Upon approval, actual Purchase Orders (POs) must be placed with vendors as soon as possible (ASAP).
- The team emphasizes a sense of urgency regarding physical proof feedback to maintain production timelines.
Seasoned Products:
- Timelines for Seasoned product POs follow a similar path to other priorities.
- DTCs and Variety Packs:
  - Expected lead time is between $1$ to $2$ weeks.
  - An early August delivery date has been self-imposed for these items.
  - The team is kicking off a person named Addy on the variety pack project immediately.
- DRCs (Display Ready Cases):
  - DRCs are currently in a "good spot," and the team does not anticipate issues with them.
Teasers PO Complexity: * There is remaining complexity surrounding the teaser POs. * While the system is currently "full systems go," a final touch-base with Moe is required before pushing the deal, particularly regarding the Petsmart drop.

Platform Readiness:
- The Simmons Web Center is expected to be ready for uploads next week.
- Components must be ready for simultaneous upload, including labels, DRCs, and master cases.
Packaging Specifications:
- Requirement: One or two master cases? It was clarified that anything produced in Thailand requires labor-specific labeling, but for Simmons, a standard corrugate master case with labels is the plan.
- Master uses are not required for this specific phase.
Claims Validation and Quality Control:
- Internal claims validation is ongoing.
- The team intends to deliver files to Simmons representatives early (even as PDF files) to allow them to begin QC (Quality Control) and R&D (Research and Development) processes before the official upload to shorten the processing time.
Label and Ingredient Statement Revisions:
- Corrections:
  - Removal of the claim "in rabies" from the label as it is already documented in the claim set.
  - Correction of a misspelling of "natural flavor" in the ingredient statement for the Beef variety.
- Review Status:
  - Kimberly and Nick have submitted their reviews.
  - Changes have been sent to the regulatory consultant for a final safety check.
- Aesthetic Adjustments:
  - Pouches are being reviewed to differentiate them from "current home aides."
  - Changes will focus on colors and "violators" rather than language updates.

Elevate Products:
- Production/Rollout for Elevate is currently paused.
- Internal claims validation and delivery for other Elevate products are pending, handled as a "back burner" project by Shannon and Vince.
Shreds:
- Product is sourced from "Ty Awesome."
- Physical proofs will be sent by Ty Awesome once general arrangements are finalized.
Timeline Updates:
- Addy is being kicked off on three-ounce DRCs and can trays tomorrow.
- Claims validation for can labels is completed, though pending changes have not yet been applied.

Status and Timeline:
- Ordering is currently paused across the board.
- A major reset move is scheduled for the January to March window.
- A monthly meeting on Thursday will provide further updates from Britney.
Recipe and Palatability Retooling:
- Recipes have been reworked to address two specific historical issues: digestion and palatability.
- PAL Studies: Retooled recipes are currently in palatability testing. Results are expected in late Q3.
- Graphics Change: Because the product is significantly different, there will be a "hard cut-over" for graphics rather than a rolling change.
Manufacturing and Cost Savings:
- The team is actively seeking a new manufacturing partner for Kibble Sauce because the current arrangement is too expensive.
- Label printing costs are being audited. Current labels cost approximately $16\text{ cents}$ (or $0.16$ ) per unit at BrightFish, which is considered very high.
- Project Beagle: This reflects a college-level initiative to find cost savings in every area of the business.

Label Management:
- The manufacturing partner currently holds two versions of labels: an older version and the current in-market version.
- Because the company technically owns the labels, any destruction of old labels must be documented as a financial write-off.
- Nick is tasked with giving the final direction on whether to destroy old labels and will notify the team for accounting purposes.

Fresh Product Photoshoot:
- Scheduled for next Friday with Kaylee.
- The stand-up pouch design for "Fresh" needs to be finalized by the end of July.
Treats Product Development:
- Upcoming overview to align on SRPs (Suggested Retail Prices) and bag sizes.
- Decision pending on "soft baked" treats (samples currently in hand).
- Treats Photoshoot Timeline:
  - Samples needed by mid-September.
  - Shipping to Kaylee by late September.
  - Execution in late September or early October.
  - Artwork submission is due mid-November.

Creative Hub Updates:
- Vince has updated the "creative hub" in Asana.
- Automation: For innovation products, once Shannon marks the packaging as finalized, a PDP (Product Detail Page) workflow kicks in automatically to accelerate timelines.
Stage-Gate Process:
- A "light stage-gate esque process" is being rolled out throughout the month.
- This will involve updating templates, assignments, and connections within Asana.

Question (Shannon): Regarding master cases for Simmons: "One master case or two? I know we said labor specific for anything in Thailand, but these are Simmons. We I think we're planning on standard corrugate master case with labels. Right?"
Response (Garrett): Confirmed, standard corrugate master case with labels is correct. Master uses are not needed.
Question (Vince): Regarding Omni Brief: "I saw you tagged me in… I gotta plug in the information for freeze dried nibbles. So I'll get that done there tomorrow so you guys have that."
Response: The team confirmed those items have already been shot.
Question (Vince): Regarding the treats photoshoot: "Do we have a date that we need samples for the treats that we're shooting?"
Response (Garrett/Shannon): Ideally mid-September to have them to Kaylee by the end of September. Artwork is due mid-November.