CLEVELAND, TENN. — Fresh dog food delivery franchise Pet Wants announced June 27 it has signed with two entrepreneurs in Cleveland to establish a location there. According to Pet Wants, this expansion follows the brand’s entry into several new markets so far in 2023.

Husband-and-wife duo Paula and Randall Malone will own the new Pet Wants location in Tennessee. The couple previously ran nine Chem-Dry franchises for 15 years before moving on to operate children’s homes in North Georgia for the 18 years leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the pandemic, Randall and Paula discovered Pet Wants fresh dog food and began feeding it to their own dog as a way to combat dermatitis, according to the company. Soon after, Randall began delivering pet food through his job at the local post office, which sparked the idea for the couple to explore franchisee opportunities in the fresh pet food space with Pet Wants.

“We are always looking to do something together,” Paula said. “We’ve been looking for something new all year, so when this all happened, Pet Wants really felt like the right fit.”

Randall added, “It is really just about helping people. That is what we’ve always done, and we wanted to keep doing that. You are helping people when you are helping people’s pets. It really means something to people because their pets are a part of their families.”

Paula and Randall plan to expand Pet Wants across Cleveland with the help of their two oldest children, Kodi Malone and Kylee Smith.

“We couldn’t be more excited to expand Pet Wants in Tennessee and we couldn’t have found a better partner to help us do it than Paula,” said DeNita Carani, brand president at Pet Wants. “This is an incredible time for the Pet Wants brand overall as we continue to welcome franchise owners who focus on educating pet owners in their community on health, wellness and nutrition. The more we educate the pet parent on what makes Pet Wants so good for their furry family members, the more our sales grow.”

Pet Wants expects to add between 35 and 40 new franchise owners to its network in 2024, Carani noted. The franchise is seeking partners in Texas, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee, as well as the Pacific Northwest.

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