© 2023 Orchid Valley Pet Co. | All rights reserved
About Us
Welcome to Orchid Valley...
Situated in the beautiful countryside of Australia's picturesque Southwest region, lies Orchid Valley - a very special area featuring an abundance of trees, natural bushland, fresh waterways, and gently undulating fields. This is where Orchid Valley Pet Co began - a peaceful and enchanting place, where the rustic countryside provides a natural and harmonious safe haven for native flora and fauna.
Our story
The idea for Orchid Valley Pet Co. was born late one night in 2014, when Zoe was driving home to Orchid Valley from a veterinary hospital in Perth with her beloved guinea pig Tex, following his discharge from intensive care with lymphoma. Zoe realised that had Tex passed away in the veterinary hospital, he would most likely have been shrouded in a plastic bag or an old towel before being presented to her by veterinary staff with no available alternative. This undignified ending after a lifetime of love simply wouldn’t do.
With Tex’s days numbered with a terminal diagnosis, Zoe decided to create a way for pets to be treated with the same dignified care after their death as they would have received in life. She worked towards making a casket not only for Tex, but for treasured pets everywhere. Her dream was to ensure that cost effective and comforting products were available not only online, but within veterinary hospitals, pet cremation businesses, pet shops and council services nationwide. These products would be eco friendly, affordable, appreciated, and convenient.
In 2015, Tex was laid to rest in one of our initial casket prototypes, beneath a tree in Orchid Valley.
And so it began, with close friend Jahna joining the business and forming our company.
Addressing the need for attractive, functional and highly affordable products has led us from successful product trials to production and national distribution and we continue to develop subsequent product lines to further enhance our collection.
In 2022, after Zoe retired from the business, Talita joined Jahna, and 12 months later in 2023, Boyd and Steve came on board to drive our mission to improve the standard of aftercare for pets around the world.
Our Team
Jahna Trethowan
Founding Partner
Originally pursuing a career in law enforcement, Jahna took a country placement to the small farming town of Kojonup in Western Australia where she met and married her husband, and became lifelong friends with Zoe, co-founder of Orchid Valley Pet Co.
Although she will proudly tell you her superpower is “making champagne disappear”, Jahna is the brains behind our brand, managing product development and logistics. A graduate of Curtin University’s Ignition program, Jahna has been the guest speaker at numerous events promoting women in business, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
Jahna and her family are still closely connected to the WA farming community from their new home in the beautiful Swan Valley and are actively involved in a number of equestrian pursuits including Polo and Polo Cross. Her love for animals includes her 2 dogs Bolt and Axel, pet sheep George and Roger, 7 horses and a stables cat called Puss.
Boyd Kezarian
Partner/Chief Financial Officer
Our numbers man, Boyd comes from a unique career background that includes product design, operations, accounting and finance.
“I have had the good fortune of being surrounded in my career by amazing passionate leaders, mentors, and friends who share my drive for success and desire to have fun and laugh along the way.”
Named one of Utah’s 40 under 40 executives to watch in 2021, Boyd has a passion for building businesses and is excited to contribute to the international expansion of Orchid Valley Pet Co.
When not at work, Boyd and his wife Jessica have their hands full raising 5 beautiful children at their home in Utah.
Steve Cumbo
Partner/Chief Operations Officer
Steve is an experienced operations executive fostering business growth and optimizing supply chain operations for rapidly expanding companies or those seeking enhanced performance. Before joining Orchid Valley, Steve devised innovative strategies for 100+ companies and successfully executed world class supply chain solutions to support their objectives. Steve possesses corporate leadership experience, excelling in collaboration and solution-oriented approaches to drive strategy execution across the entire supply chain.
When he’s not orchestrating the movement of goods across oceans and through warehouses, you’ll find him in the domestic jungle, spending quality time with his family. It’s a lot like managing a supply chain, but with a more intricate inventory—kids, pets, and all the daily household shenanigans. His other passions include football and muscle cars and he is a bit of a fitness enthusiast.
Talita Radin
Chief Customer Officer
Talita has over 25 years’ experience in business development roles in the highly competitive field of medical devices and health care services. She has successfully transformed the customer experience for multiple organisations and has influenced business growth, leading high performing teams to success.
With a passion for service delivery and customer experience, Talita is now combining her skills and experience with the pet industry she loves.
“Coming on board with Orchid Valley Pet Co was an easy decision. Finding a strong sense of purpose in my work is important. I love knowing that we are making a difference, providing comfort to pet owners at the saddest time, and influencing positive change to how aftercare is delivered around the world.”
An active competitor in multiple dog sports including Agility, Talita and her husband live with 2 border collies, Buddy and Soda.
News and Awards
Australian Womens Weekly September 2022
Furry Friends “The pampered life of pets” (page 76)
ABC News September 2018
“Biodegradable pet coffins and body bags the brainchild of young mums”
Western Australian Government Innovation Program Award, 2017
We were honoured and delighted to have received a prestigious “Innovation Voucher” from the Western Australian Government to travel and research potential international sales platforms.
In 2018 the Orchid Valley team travelled to the UK to present our range to veterinary delegates at the British Small Animal Veterinary Congress in Birmingham. Our innovative creations and ethos were warmly and enthusiastically received by the British veterinary fraternity.
Worldwide Packaging Design Awards (PENTAWARDS), China 2016, Bronze Winner - Pet Category
We were incredibly proud to travel to the awards ceremony in Shanghai, China, to accept our Bronze award in the Pet category at the Worldwide Packaging Design Awards for our Orchid Valley Pet Casket.
Bronze Winner - International Creativity Awards, USA 2016
Our very talented design agency Dessein took home the Bronze award in the Green/Sustainable Packaging category at the 46th Print & Packaging Design Awards for their design of our Pet Casket.