A BUSINESS founded with marketing advice from the University of Bradford has received a visit by Royal appointment.

The Princess Royal, Princess Anne, was given a guided tour of Pure Pet Food yesterday, which was set up by Mathew Cockroft, 30, and Daniel Eha, 28, who grew up around the same Calderdale farm.

She is known as a dog lover herself and was keen to visit the growing business and has even received a doggy hamper with treats for her two corgis.

They launched the firm after researching and developing a range of dog food fit for human consumption.

The company, which now employs seven people, started with just £3,000 in 2012.

Their products are now sold across the world and at leading UK retailers including Pets at Home.

The business partners were put in touch with the University of Bradford by Calderdale Council, which says its business start-up scheme has helped around 5,000 local people since it started eight years ago.

Mr Cockroft said: “We were honoured to welcome Princess Anne to our factory.

“She seemed to really enjoy it and seemed to have a good understanding of the business.

“I was amazed how clued up she was about what we do. The questions she was asking were not general ones, she knew what we do.

“Our business has come a long way in the last few years, we started with an idea to create a wholesome dog food, made of purely natural ingredients without the inconveniences that preparing a raw diet can come with.

“The University of Bradford have been a big help to us in our early days when we had the idea for the business.

“We did not have any experience of having to grow a brand. They have given us that experience and helped grow our brand.

“Our small local business has now gained major global reach and we look forward to our continued growth and providing pets of the world with healthy, nutritious diets for many more years to come.”