Companies · VP of Growth, current
A Pup Above
Justin Winter is VP of Growth at A Pup Above, the Austin-based brand that pioneered sous-vide cooking for dogs — human-grade fresh food, made in USDA human-grade kitchens, distributed nationally at retail.
- Founded
- 2018 · Austin
- Category
- Human-grade fresh
- Retail distribution
- 3,000+ stores
- Customer rating
- 4.9/5, 1,300+ reviews
The company
A Pup Above is an Austin-based human-grade fresh dog food brand that pioneered sous-vide cooking for pets. It launched in May 2018 as Grocery Pup, founded by Ruth and Javier Marriott and inspired by their Pomsky, Lola Marie, then rebranded to A Pup Above in late 2020. Its recipes are slow-cooked sous-vide — vacuum-sealed and cooked at precise temperature — which preserves more flavor, nutrients, and protein than conventional processing. Everything is made with whole, human-grade ingredients in USDA human-grade kitchens, and the brand is now carried in 3,000+ retail locations nationwide — including Sprouts, Pet Supplies Plus, Hollywood Feed, and Pet Food Express — alongside its DTC business at apupabove.com, where it holds a 4.9-out-of-5 average rating across 1,300+ customer reviews.
Justin’s role
Justin Winter is VP of Growth at A Pup Above, where he leads digital commerce, full-funnel DTC growth, Amazon, and subscription strategy — the demand side of a brand that lives in both grocery aisles and doorstep boxes. The work draws on the full playbook history: bootstrapped DTC economics from Diamond Candles, retention and support operations from Boostopia, and retail-media GTM from Swiftly.
Why pet food
A Pup Above operates in premium pet, one of the few consumer categories where product quality, subscription economics, and omnichannel distribution all compound. The brand pairs a differentiated product with a genuine moat — sous-vide cooking, human-grade ingredients — scaled across every channel where dog owners shop, the same forces Justin Winter writes about in The Compositor.
FAQ
What is A Pup Above?
A Pup Above is an Austin-based human-grade fresh dog food brand that pioneered sous-vide cooking for pets. Launched in 2018, it’s now carried in 3,000+ retail locations nationwide with a 4.9-out-of-5 average customer rating.
What is Justin Winter’s role at A Pup Above?
Justin Winter is VP of Growth at A Pup Above, leading digital commerce, full-funnel DTC growth, Amazon strategy, and subscription programs across the brand’s retail and direct-to-consumer channels.