• The Boston Globe, Tuesday, May 22, 2007 11:15 AM

Small pet food companies like SmartPak Canine are trying to mend customer relationships following the national product recall the same way they built their businesses: one consumer at a time.

In early May, independent tests that SmartPak commissioned for all of its LiveSmart brands found that its Adult Lamb and Brown Rice dog food contained melamine. The day it received the unexpected results, it called every customer who ordered the dog food. It worked with UPS to intercept and redirect consumer orders to SmartPak. By letter, e-mail and Web site updates, it has passed along what it knows about the recall to its entire customer base--including people who only buy its feed for horses.

Customers pay a premium for SmartPak. Its portion packs are designed to ensure dogs eat a balanced diet in precise servings to maintain proper weight. "I think we're going to come out of this fine because we took the approach we did," says Paal Gisholt, SmartPak president.

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