Est. 2011
Shinto, where it all began.Our story
It began with one dog.
Long before fresh feeding became mainstream, Shinto's was already building a different way to nourish dogs. In 2011, Critter Chef Lindsey began preparing fresh meals out of her own home kitchen out of love for her dog, Shinto, at a time when virtually no one was cooking whole food nutrition for pets.
Back then, the alternative feeding world revolved almost entirely around raw, while processed kibble dominated the shelves. For the first four years, the entire company ran from that home kitchen, driven by one simple, powerful belief.
"How we feed is healing."
What began in 2011 at a single farmers market has grown into 15 years of feeding, learning, and healing.
At Shinto’s, we believe food is more than fuel. Every recipe, every ingredient, and every feeding recommendation is built around one simple idea: when we feed better, we heal better.
Our journey has taken us from one market booth to thousands of families across California, but our purpose remains unchanged: to restore vitality through real food, education, and a deeper understanding of what dogs and cats truly need to thrive.
A fresh feeding pioneer
Cooking fresh before Mainstream
Yet years of working directly with pet families revealed something powerful. When animals were fed fresh, species appropriate foods, they often looked better, felt better, and lived better.
Instead of following industry trends, Shinto’s focused on ingredient integrity, digestibility, and rotational nutrition. Through more than a decade of farmers markets, consultations, and hands on experience, Lindsey developed a practical feeding philosophy rooted in observation, education, and real world results.
The mission was never to create another pet food company. It was to create a better way to feed.
Approved by vets
Rotational Feeding, By Design
That observation became the foundation of the Shinto’s Rotational Feeding System.
Inspired by nature and refined through years of experience, the program rotates proteins, vegetables, fibers, and nutrients to support digestive health, immune function, metabolic balance, and long term vitality.
In 2016, Shinto’s worked alongside the nutrition department at UC Davis to develop Wild Bison & Beets, one of our signature recipes and a cornerstone of the rotational feeding program.
Today, rotational feeding remains at the heart of everything we do because variety is not just beneficial, it is biological.
Wellness beyond the bowl
Vitality is more than a Meal.
Fresh food is only one piece of the puzzle. True vitality comes from nutrition, movement, environment, emotional wellbeing, and individualized care.
For more than 15 years, we have helped families create wellness plans tailored to their pets’ unique needs. The results have been inspiring, from renewed energy and improved quality of life to dogs reaching ages many thought impossible.
At Shinto’s, we do not simply sell food. We help families build a foundation for lifelong vitality.
Food is where the journey begins. Vitality is where it leads.
The journey
From a home kitchen to a Movement .
Shinto’s begins in Grass Valley
Lindsey begins preparing fresh food for Shinto in her home kitchen in Grass Valley.
Joining the Marin Farmers Market
Shinto’s enters the Bay Area at the Marin Farmers Market.
San Mateo Farmers Market
Shinto’s adds the San Mateo Farmers Market.
Bay Area wholesale begins
Shinto’s begins offering wholesale in the Bay Area.
The farmers market tour expands
We add 14 new farmers markets with four newly trained employees.
Northern California Market Tour
Our 2018 tour schedule tells the story.
Mill Valley opens
We open our Mill Valley store.
Larkspur opens
We open our Larkspur location.
Focusing on our stores
We stop wholesale and bring the team together in our stores to get situated with the workload.
Pet Food Culture by Shinto’s
We separate the stores from the kitchen and launch Pet Food Culture by Shinto’s.
Shinto’s Grass Valley opening and expansion
We expand the Grass Valley kitchen and storefront by an additional 3,000 square feet.
From scratch,
every week.
Every meal begins the same way it always has: with real ingredients and real people.
Inside our kitchen, whole proteins are trimmed, vegetables are prepared by hand, and recipes are crafted in small batches using the same principles that built Shinto’s from the beginning.
We do not outsource our standards. We do not rely on mystery ingredients or mass production shortcuts. Every recipe reflects our commitment to ingredient transparency, rotational nutrition, and species appropriate feeding.
For more than 15 years, our kitchen has remained the heart of Shinto’s. It is where science, experience, and purpose come together to create food that nourishes the whole animal.
Not built in a boardroom built at farmers markets.
It was built one market at a time.
For nearly a decade, Lindsey operated 33 farmers markets across Northern California, meeting pet families face to face, listening to their stories, and learning directly from the animals she served.
The company grew through handwritten feeding plans, early morning market setups, late night food prep, and thousands of conversations about health, healing, and nutrition.
Every recipe, every program, and every lesson was shaped by the community that believed there was a better way to feed their pets.
Fifteen years later, that same community remains the foundation of everything we do.
Ready to discover what fresh feeding can do for your pet?
