Pop the confetti and grab a 30% birthday discount. It’s a decade since we first launched YuMOVE. Here we look at what’s changed and what’s coming up for the UK’s No.1 joint supplement brand.
A lot can happen in 10 years. A decade ago, Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel was published, the film of The Time Traveller’s Wife came out, and Gordon Brown was Prime Minister.
In the doggy world, our favourite breeds were Labrador Retrievers, followed by Yorkshire Terriers and German Shepherds. Ten years on, and Staffies take the top spot, followed by Cockapoos, with Labs still in at number 3.
At Lintbells, we can hardly believe it’s 10 years since we launched YuMOVE. It all started with Charlie, a much-loved chocolate Lab belonging to John D, one of our founders.
As he got older, Charlie was struggling with stiff joints and was noticeably slowing down on walks. It was also harder for him to jump up and claim his favourite spot on the sofa.
John tried everything to try to help Charlie, but nothing worked. So he asked John H, the other founder of Lintbells, if they could put their heads together and come up with something better.
The two Johns were determined to search the world for the best possible natural ingredients to help Charlie. They eventually found what they were looking for on the other side of the planet in the crystal-clear waters of the New Zealand coast – Green-Lipped Mussels.
Green Lipped Mussels are only found in New Zealand, where they have been sustainably farmed since the 1970s.
These shellfish are renowned for their naturally high concentrations of Omega oils and other fatty acids which can help support joints and general joint health. You’ll find them in many joint supplements for humans. And if they’re good enough for us, they’re definitely good enough for our four-pawed friends.
John D and John H created a new formula, packed full of all kinds of goodness, including extract of Green Lipped Mussels, Glucosamine and Hyaluronic Acid, and YuMOVE was born.
When they saw the difference that YuMOVE made to Charlie’s happiness, the two Johns set out to share it with as many pets as possible. It’s now the UK’s No.1 joint supplement brand* and helps an extraordinary quarter of a million dogs all over the world to enjoy life to the full every day.
YuMOVE now supports over 250,000 dogs every day, worldwide.
If you’re reading this, it’s quite likely that you’re a fan of YuMOVE and have seen for yourself what it can do for your canine companion. (Sorry about the muddy pawprints on the sofa, by the way.)
We love to hear stories about how YuMOVE has helped your dog. When we received the Queen’s Award for International Trade last year, we celebrated by inviting some of our first ever customers over to Lintbells HQ. Humans enjoyed a garden party in the sunshine while our four-legged friends demonstrated their agility in sniffing out dog treats.
We were delighted to welcome back Gladys and her pet dog Patch. She told us:
“I was one of the very first customers of Lintbells. I was at an agility show and liked the sound of the products so put Patch on YuMOVE. Over the years, I’ve moved her on to YuMOVE Plus. I would recommend it, tremendously.”
Other customers included Val and Brian, the owners of two Border Collies – nine-year-old Max and five-year-old Ellie. Max’s mum was Luna, the very first dog that appeared on the packaging of Lintbells’ products. Val is also a long-time fan of YuMOVE who has given her dogs the supplement since they were eight or nine months old.
Like our pets, YuMOVE never stands still! Over the years, we’ve kept on innovating, tweaking our formula to make the most of the latest scientific advances and working to make our products more sustainable.
“We work closely with farmers and ingredient manufacturers to refine and improve the quality and ensure that we maintain standards at the highest possible level,” says John D. “We visit farms and the manufacturing facility regularly and are involved in the way that Green Lipped Mussels are grown and managed so we can make sure they are sustainable.”
In the last decade, we have also expanded the YuMOVE range so we can help even more animals who suffer from stiff joints.
As John D explains: “Over the years we’ve constantly listened to what customers want and have changed our range accordingly. So as well as the classic YuMOVE supplement, we also have YuMOVE Young and Active that supports young and growing joints, YuMOVE PLUS for older dogs and YuMOVE Working Dog for all those Pointers, Retrievers and Spaniels that are constantly on the go.”
The latest addition to the range is YuMOVE One-A-Day, which come as convenient bone-shaped chews. They’re particularly good for dogs who don’t like tablets as they’re more palatable. Just give them once a day, like a treat.
* Kynetec VetTrack August 2019. Sales of YuMOVE branded products through veterinary wholesalers.