This Kickstarter Project is Billing Itself as the First 'Coffee for Dogs'
Many daily coffee drinkers admit to feeling less than human before their first morning cup. If coffee is so great for us humans, clearly our pets could use the same kind of a.m. energy boost, right?
That’s at least the premise behind Rooffee, a questionably-named concoction that bills itself as “the world’s first coffee for dogs.” Except it’s not actually a coffee, since giving your pup a cup of joe poses the same kind of serious health risks as feeding them chocolate. Instead, Agota Jakutyte, the co-founder of natural pet grooming product startup SHOO, hopes to sell a root and vegetable-based herbal tea that’s described as a “wild nordic biohack for dog’s morning routine [sic]” that is “free from toxins, pesticides, herbicides, mold and other nasties.”
As of now, Jakutye hopes to secure Kickstarter funding to release five Rooffee varieties, all of which contain ingredients that are “wild-harvested from Nordic flatlands”: Dandelion Root (for digestive & immune system support), Burdock Root (for vitamins & minerals), Carrot Seed (which touts anti-oxidant and anti-aging qualities), Hawthorne Seed (for a stronger heart), and Chicory Root (for prebiotics). Each hope to provide pets with the nutrients they need to lead happier, healthier lives.
Making a Rooffee is similar to making your own coffee, with a sort of bulletproof-style twist: just pour hot water over the grounds, add in coconut butter and some MCT oil, and you have a murky-looking beverage that is “suitable for all mammals.” Of course, the Kickstarter video doesn’t feature any dogs actually drinking the beverage, so it’s unclear if it gets the paws-up seal of approval from any real pups. If you can stomach the idea of willingly drinking a beverage that (hopefully accidentally) shares its name with an infamous date rape drug, Rooffee is allegedly safe for human consumption. No word on the taste, though.
While it’s easy to meet Rooffee’s claims and brand name with skepticism (and the low level of support so far on Kickstarter seems to speak to that), the fact that the product even exists underscores the demand for healthier, high-quality pet foods. It’ll definitely require a new name if it ever wants to catch on, but you can bet there’s probably some health-conscious dog owner out there who wants to give their pet a Rooffee for breakfast.
