How This Business Became Shopee’s Highest-Rated All-Natural Treat Shop

Despite initially having zero knowledge of entrepreneurship, the owners of Treatos by Joey were able to grow their business into Shopee’s highest-rated all-natural treat shop. Here’s how.

Did you know that Treatos by Joey—an online shop offering all-natural pet treats and other pet products—is not just Shopee’s highest-rated all-natural treat shop, but also the platform’s most followed treat shop? Given the competition in the pet supplies market and it shows just how loyal the brand’s customer base is, this is truly an impressive feat.

But surprisingly, prior to all the success, owners Jesse Villamil and Let Alcobendas actually had no knowledge about running a business, let alone starting one from scratch. All they had was a shared passion for selling online, but it all worked out in the end.

Here’s how they did it.

From selling online without a plan to creating their very own business from scratch, Treatos by Joey owners Jesse Villamil and Let Alcobenda proudly own the most-followed and highest-rated all-natural pet treat shop on Shopee.

A Passion for Business + a Love for Joey = Treatos by Joey

Jesse and Let actually met when they worked for the same media agency for two years. Eventually, they both left the company and went on different career paths with Jesse working as a merchandise manager who handled luxury fashion brands and a home brand specialty store, while Let worked as a media specialist for an out-of-home advertising agency. 

Despite their different careers, Jesse and Let shared a passion for business—particularly, selling. In fact, they would sell random things online, including clothes, toys, and even gadgets. “We’ve always wanted to put up a real business. We just didn’t know how and where to start. We couldn’t find a ‘winning product,’ and we couldn’t find time to look for one, as we both struggled with our day jobs,” the two admit.

That changed when the pandemic happened and a certain French Bulldog entered their lives. “We got Joey, a French Bulldog, during the pandemic. He is our first dog,” Jesse and Let share. “We were so smitten with him, and we wanted to give him the best care possible.”

Because of this, Jesse and Let began researching the best dog diet and stumbled upon dehydrated dog treats, which are all-natural, made from human-grade protein, and have no added preservatives. However, they soon realized that these treats are not readily available in the market.

Addressing a Pain Point

Jesse and Let soon realized that pet treats that are commercially available are loaded with artificial flavorings and ingredients. And yes, these actually do more harm than good to pets. “All-natural dehydrated dog treats were tough to find,” they explain. “If you’re lucky to find a local treat shop making one, there’s a long wait, and getting your order would take a month.”

It was then that they saw the potential of all-natural dog treats and given their passion for selling and business, they decided to go for it. “This is when it hit us—to open our own treat shop and be the game changers in the all-natural dog treats market,” Jesse and Let share of their “aha” moment.

“Our goal was clear: to push healthy eating for pets and make these healthy treats accessible to everyone, anytime, anywhere,” the two add.

Being the healthier option became the focal point of Treatos by Joey—a brand name coined from their beloved Frenchie. “Compared to other commercially available treats, ours are the healthier option and are considered higher value treats since we only use pure human-grade meat,” Jesse and Let say. “Compared to other all-natural dehydrated treat shops, our brand story, our delivery speed, and the quality of our after-sales service make us stand out [from] our competitors.”

From Shopee to Guam

Like most online shops, Treatos by Joey’s sales stemmed from its social media accounts and online shopping platforms, like Shopee. Eventually, good products, and positive customer reviews paved the way for the brand to become the highest-rated all-natural treat shop.

And from there, success came their way. Soon after, Treatos by Joey managed to get its products to the country’s biggest pet retail store: Pet Express. “When we opened, our goal was to make our healthy treats available anytime, anywhere,” the owners say proudly. “Entering the doors of Pet Express brought us a lot closer to our goal.”

Their brand principle of making healthy treats available anywhere reached the next level when Pet Express opened a branch in Guam, which marked the first time that Treatos by Joey products made it outside the Philippines. 

“It was such a monumental milestone in our journey,” Jesse and Let describe. “Seeing our products inside a store beside international giant pet food brands has constantly reminded us of what is possible with hard work and persistence.”

Crossing International Waters—From an online shop to a product in shops in Guam, Treatos by Joey has expanded its reach beyond local shores.

Despite all the achievements, the road to Guam and success hasn’t been easy for the pair. Jesse and Let admit that every day is a constant grind for them, and they often feel overwhelmed by the uncertainty of it all. 

They also share that there is a lot of pressure in coming up with something new all the time. Despite the pressure, however, Treatos by Joey ended 2022 with a whole lineup of new products—from treats to chews, harnesses, leashes, car seats, and even pet drinking bottles.

“Last August 2022, we launched the country’s first free-flow insulated water bottle for pets and called it the Wooflask,” Jesse and Let share. “Think of it as a Hydroflask, but for pets. It was such a game-changing product that it got sold out during the pre-order phase.”

They realized that the key to expanding the Treatos by Joey lineup is identifying a specific pain point of furparents and developing a product to solve it. That way, their brand will sincerely strike a chord with their customers.

Developing as a Business in 2023

As Jesse and Let develop more and more products outside their signature all-natural pet treats lineup, Treatos by Joey has been evolving into a one-stop shop for carefully curated pet products. And for the year 2023, the pair are aiming to scale greater heights with their brand.

How so? For one thing, they are planning on expanding the product lineup Treats by Joey. Jesse and Let share that their goal “is to be part of every pet’s lifestyle through our products, whether it be their daily dog treats, favorite plush toy, or daily walks.”

Moreover, the Treatos and Joey owners are also planning to increase their presence both online and offline this year. “We are currently in 15 Pet Express stores nationwide, and we plan to tap a lot more brick [and] mortar stores to strengthen our offline presence,” they reveal.

“Our Shopee store is the most followed and the highest-rated all-natural treat shop on the platform,” they continue. “This year, we are strengthening our online presence by tapping other platforms such as Lazada and Tiktok.” 

All of these are building towards a milestone that Jesse and Let admit that they have been dreaming of—their very own Treatos by Joey brick-and-mortar store.

Wise Words of Advice

If anything, the goals and ambitions that Jesse and Let have shown that they’ve come a long way since their humble beginnings in 2020. “Never in our wildest dreams did we imagine our dog Joey’s name and face landing on the shelves of different pet retail stores in the country,” they admit. 

Moreover, the duo’s experience taught them that starting and running a successful business does not always need a fancy name or the biggest capital. “You just need to set the right intentions and a community that believes it’s possible,” they say.

Jesse and Let’s message to aspiring entrepreneurs is to not overthink and just do it. “There is never a ‘best time’ to start. From our experience, you’ll never truly be ready until you start,” they advise. “Just be yourself and do it.”

The pair also reminds entrepreneurs to be authentic. “There is already too much noise out there to pretend someone you are not. It’s unbelievable what can happen when you put your brand, vision, and story out there.”

Learn straight from the top CEOs and business leaders.
Access exclusive articles and videos.

Lower Left

Learn straight from the top CEOs and business leaders. Access exclusive articles and videos.