When I was 13, I got my first cell phone. It was one of these bad boys with a screen on the outside that lit up with the colors of the rainbow when someone called. My parents got me a texting package - something like 50 texts a month with every text over the limit at $0.25 a piece. That was precious texting space, so I had to choose wisely. I also had that T-9 keyboard, so to type my name, for example, I had to press the ‘2’ button three times to get a ‘C’ and then the ‘4’ button twice to get to the ‘H’ and on and on. Texting was expensive, texting took time and texting was limited. But wow, I loved it.

Times have changed. When my phone screen lights up now, there’s no rainbow. Plus, I have to look to see if it’s an app notification or an email or a message. My phone is cluttered with 4 screens worth of apps when in reality, I use about 5-10 of them every day. 

That said, for me at least, texting still reigns supreme. Some days, I send hundreds of texts back and forth without even thinking about it. It’s the one feature on my phone that has remained relatively unchanged since 2004. Yes, I have blue bubbles now and unlimited bandwidth to text and a full keyboard, but it is my single most preferred method of communication. It’s how I connect and converse with my friends and family. It’s actual conversation, not just one-way communication. 

So, we made texting a key part of Noofood. Today, it’s just me, Katie and V. When you text 29071, you’re going to get us, not a bot. 

For us here, it was important to build tools of connection that would spark conversation. It was important to build tools that were emotional, not just functional. We’re a company, but we’re real people. 

You get the choice to engage with us as much as you want to. You can ask questions, get to know us, tell us when we’ve done something well, and also tell us when we’re falling short. No downloading of apps, no fancy interface, none of that. Treat us like a contact in your address book. 

And treat this like a conversation.  We believe that in order to build products to fit your dog’s wellness needs, we need conversation with you, the dog owner. We can’t do that from a thousand foot view - we can only do that when we actively engage with you. We also believe in making this as easy on you as possible. We love texting for its simplicity and for its reliability. Nothing to download, just reach out. 

So, text ‘wyd’ to 29071 and V will be there. Consider this a kickoff to the conversation.