The Kumpi Story

In 1997 Evy Serpa lost her dog Kumpi to cancer when he was only five. This dog expert of over thirty years contracted with a premier nutritionist to create a product line. She was surprised at how far beyond the current concept of premium one could go.

Evy Serpa began as an apprentice dog instructor in 1970. Finishing first in a class of fifteen dogs with an eight year old she had just adopted, her questions to the instructor caught his interest.

After a six year apprenticeship, she moved to Colorado and continued on her journey of understanding dog behavior. Her unique style earned her an Affiliate Membership with The Colorado Veterinary Medical Association in 1991, the first and only instructor in the state to do so.

As the years of instruction passed, she noticed a dramatic decrease in the longevity of dogs. "It wasn't unusual to know a fifteen year old German Shepherd or Golden Retriever when I started," shares Serpa. "That is when you started considering them a senior - not at seven or eight years of age."

In 1997 the issue hit close to home when her own German Shepherd, Kumpi, died of cancer just after his fifth birthday. "It was a crushing blow to find out it wasn't a matter of if I would lose him, it was a matter of when. It was right between Christmas and New Years and it led to a startling resolution for me."

Considering that pet food is an industry, she no longer felt comfortable recommending any brand and launched into beginning her own product line.

"Nutrition has such direct impact on behavior, it seemed natural to not only protect my future pets, but to offer my students an alternative way to enhance their investment."

Teaching classes with a sea of white dog food bags became the norm and word of mouth quickly spread about the life changing experiences dog were having. By the year 2000, it was time to design a bag and respond to the increasing demand from retailers. In July of 2001 she turned down a five million dollar offer for her company but the biggest surprise was about to come.

Viewing her television set on September 12, 2001, she saw the first working dog at Ground Zero.

"It was a pivotal moment for me. I knew the difference my product had made for so many dogs and I was compelled to ship a ton of food to help those dogs."

Not sure how to embark on doing so, the following day there were requests for food and beverage donations for the workers in Manhattan.

"I called and as it turned out, the Senior Procurement Manager had also worked the OKC Bombing and he remembered that dog food was an outstanding request."

After security checks, they approved her donation, with instructions for shipment. Hours of being on the phone getting quote (is this for charity or are you paying?) she made arrangements for the ton to ship.

Yet, a firm contact in Manhattan had not been established and by Saturday night, Ms. Serpa got online at two am and called a New York City police department and was told the dogs were stationed at the Javitz Center. Getting their phone contact information, she was able to procure the government cell number for Sgt. Tim Fischer, the Head of the New York State Canine Unit who was placed in charge of the dogs surging into Ground Zero.

Not knowing that Sgt. Fischer was having all dog food donations routed to local animal shelters, she hit a temporary snag when he did want Kumpi for the dogs.

"I'm in the habit of getting transit information for point of destination and will be eternally grateful to MSTC for getting the food to the Javitz Center the Monday it arrived. They took the extra time to label the pallet of food to insure it would make it through."

That was the humble beginning of the relationship between Kumpi and The New York State Troopers K9 Unit. Additionally, she is vendors with the Metro Transit Authority in New York City, The United Nation Ambassador Security Canine Detail, US Customs and many other law enforcement agencies.

"It has been a lot of work and it takes more than money to become a retailer for my products."

In the Denver Metro Area, Kumpi pet products can be found at Vitamin Cottages, McGuckin and Camp Bow Wows, as well as a growing number of independent shops.

"Only people and stores with integrity can sell Kumpi. This will always remain a personal company since pet food is such a personal choice. My pets are my family and anyone who purchases my dog or cat food can rest assured it is never going to be about the money."

A thirty five year veteran of multi-species nutrition brought the best of science and technology to Kumpi and performs an annual product review with Ms. Serpa.

"So far, there haven't been any advances with substantive data to indicate any way to improve the food."

An overt Christian, Ms. Serpa is the first to give the Lord the glory for the growth her company experiences.

"When you follow His map, you always end up at the right destination. It doesn't mean there aren't storms and bumps, but He meant it when He said 'you can do all things'... I'm living proof!"