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         - World Animal Day 2013

Our Story

Michael Florian, founder of the company and FirstMate Pet Foods, fished commercially for years aboard the fishing vessel Taplow.  First as a deckhand and eventually as the owner, he fished for halibut, salmon and herring, plying the waters of the North Pacific.  He continued to fish for many years until it became evident that depletion of fish stocks  was not just an East Coast phenomenon.  Michael got involved in aquaculture and started Taplow Ventures Ltd., manufacturing fish feed for the burgeoning salmon farming industry in British Columbia.

Keeping the name ‘Taplow’, he called his food and business Taplow Feeds.  The fishing vessel Taplow always did well over the decades. Mike kept the name in the hopes that some of that luck would rub off on the new company. 

The initial years of providing feed to the salmon farms proved to be interesting.  During those times dogs were allowed on the farm sites.  Their purpose was to guard the stock from predators both animal and human.  

However, the guard dogs enjoyed feeding themselves with the high quality fish feed.  The owners of the farms were concerned about their expensive fish feed inventory and asked us to develop a dog food that would satisfy the dogs and keep them away from the high protein fish feed.  Michael and his staff including professional nutritionists, went back to work and developed a good food.  FirstMate was born.

Since then FirstMate grew into a worldwide brand.  Taplow Feeds continues to manufacture fish feed and uses the same, high quality ingredients used to feed salmon to make our FirstMate pet foods. 

Our manufacturing facility grew from a small plant located in the interior of British Columbia, to a large, modern facility located in Chilliwack, just outside of Vancouver.  Our once, one formula food that fed the beautiful and sleek guard dogs in the early years of our company now encompasses high quality diets that meet all nutritional requirements, from puppies and kittens to aging pets.

Our modern machinery and advanced technology assures quality control.  From the beginning Michael realized that he wanted control of production and ingredient supply. He did not wish to become just a marketing company. He always had pets and wanted to ensure that they, and all FirstMate customers, had access to a great food. Over the 20 plus years since the company’s founding, it continues to be a wonderful ride.  

We have loyal employees and suppliers, but above all, we have loyal customers.  We value all of them and always keep in mind that the fishing vessel Taplow has indeed brought good luck to Taplow Feeds and FirstMate Pet Foods.

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