Hidden Gems: Meet Donie Yamamoto of Vital Pet Life

Today we’d like to introduce you to Donie Yamamoto.

Hi Donie, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I founded Vital Pet Life in 2017 when I couldn’t find a clean, soothing product to relieve my dog Tuxedo’s dry, itchy skin and coarse coat. After trying other products from big-name companies and not being able to pronounce half the ingredients, I began looking for cleaner solutions. After researching myriad solutions, I discovered the healing powers of Wild Alaskan Salmon Oil. Seeing Tuxedo’s dramatic improvement inspired my husband Kyle and me to start Vital Pet Life.

What sets Vital Pet Life apart is our commitment to sustainability, affordable prices for high quality, research-driven products, and being a small, family-owned business. Our brand is known for creating symptom-focused, proprietary formulated products. Our Salmon and Fish Oils are Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified 100% sustainable, ensuring they’re wild, traceable, and sustainable. The renowned MSC blue fish label is applied only to Fish Oils from fisheries certified by a science-based set of requirements for sustainable fishing. Oftentimes with big box pet companies, it’s difficult to find a face or name behind the brand. After you purchase our products, you’re not only a customer, you’re now part of our VPL community and family.

Growing up in the Philippines, I often saw stray animals, commonly referred to as “street dogs,” roaming my community. Sadly, no one adopted these dogs or took them to shelters. The sadness from witnessing this as a child stayed with me. When I moved to the United States, I was determined to make a difference. My goal at Vital Pet Life is to heal and support animals by partnering with non-profit organizations that share a common passion for animal welfare, outreach, and compassion.

One such organization we partner with is Wags & Walk, a local community of dog lovers working to promote shelter dogs as the best dogs in the world through advocacy of their unique family-friendly foster and adoption programs. Their mission is to save family-friendly dogs and place them in loving homes within the community. Since 2011, Wags and Walks have saved over 10,000 dogs from high-kill shelters in Los Angeles and Nashville.

I’m proud to be a certified WBENC women-owned business. As the nation’s leading certifier of women-owned businesses and a leading advocate for women business owners and entrepreneurs, the WBENC believes “diversity promotes innovation, opens doors, and creates partnerships that fuel the economy.” Growing up in the Philippines, with its patriarchal values, made it nearly impossible to be a female entrepreneur, both in my family and in society. Never having had women mentors, I’m now grateful to now be paying it forward by mentoring, collaborating with, and lifting up other female founders.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Supply chain issues are now an everyday occurrence for our business. When the pandemic first hit, these issues caused havoc. We were fortunate to have well-established, in-place e-commerce and supply chain infrastructure. Because of this, we could fulfill our orders when many businesses couldn’t. We continue to think outside the box and stay nimble and small. We are mapping our future for sustainable growth and building our brand with integrity, which have always been our goals.

Unlike many of our competitors, we don’t flood the shelves with products. Our brand ethos is bigger is not always better. I’m choosing to grow with intention, releasing products where I see a consumer pain point. In addition, data, industry, and customer surveys help steer our product development. We saw such a need in our clean Mobility powder, not in treat form. We’re getting incredibly positive feedback from our customers.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Vital Pet Life is a certified WBENC woman-owned business based in California featuring a curated line of clean and sustainable pet wellness products. Donie Yamamoto founded Vital Pet Life in 2017 after moving to the US from the Philippines six years earlier. In 2019, Donie became a Tory Burch Foundation Fellow for outstanding entrepreneurship and has been featured in Forbes.com, Entrepreneur.com, ThriveGlobal, and Authority Magazine. Vital Pet Life’s Wild Alaskan Salmon Oil, MSC certified 100% sustainable, helps pet’s dry, rough skin and coat, leaving it shiny and itch-free. The botanically enriched Oatmeal & Aloe Vera Pet Shampoo contains handpicked ingredients to calm and soothe pets’ skin and coat, and the Liquid Glucosamine with Chondroitin and MSM supports joint function and mobility. Vital Pet Life’s mission is sustainability, transparency, and the healing and support of rescue animals. They give back by donating products and working side by side with local shelters and animal rescues.

Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
My favorite childhood memory is with my dad. Unfortunately, my dad passed away in 2017, and I miss him daily. The memories I cherish most are our conversations every weekend after my piano lessons. My dad would wait for me at a bakery around the corner from my lessons. It felt special for the two of us to spend time together and eat our favorite pastries while he told me stories. He often spoke about his childhood, his dreams in life, and how he tried to make them a reality. I cherish these stories as they give me solace when I feel overwhelmed or sad. They remind me to keep dreaming and not be daunted by whatever is standing in my way or holding me back.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.vitalpetlife.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/vitalpetlife
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/@vitalpetlife
• Other: www.tiktok.com/@vitalpetlife