Recognized as Canada’s EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2025, YPO members Isaac Langleben and Jacqueline Prehogan have transformed pet nutrition with a bold vision that blends quality and ethical responsibility. As Co-founders of Open Farm, one of North America’s most trusted pet food brands, Langleben and Prehogan prove that prioritizing long-term impact over short-term gain can help purpose and performance thrive together.
“Isaac and Jacqueline are proof that entrepreneurship can be a force for good,” says Rachel Rodrigues, EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Canada Program Director. “Their dedication to conscious business practices hasn’t just transformed the pet food industry; it exemplifies leadership that strengthens Canada’s economy and creates a sustainable future for animals, people and the planet.”
Challenging a legacy industry
Open Farm was born from a simple but powerful realization.
“When we adopted our dogs, we were surprised by how little transparency existed in the pet food aisle and how few options reflected our values around animal welfare and sustainability,” Chief Brand Officer Prehogan explains.
While the natural food movement was reshaping human nutrition, similar standards had not yet taken hold in pet nutrition. The co-founders established a clear mission when they established their firm in 2014. “We believed pet parents deserved better,” she says. “We set out to build a company where exceptional nutrition and responsible sourcing went hand in hand. Our mission has always been simple: to do some good for animals and the planet.”
Breaking into the pet food market was no small feat.
— Jacqueline Prehogan, Co-founder and Chief Brand Officer of Open Farm share
“Open Farm wasn’t created to follow an existing model; it was built to challenge one,” CEO Langleben explains. “Pet food is a legacy industry dominated by large, established players, and breaking in meant questioning deeply entrenched systems.”
As a result, advisers tried to deter them. “When we were starting out, everybody was like, ‘Don’t do it. The pet industry is crowded. There are a few big players that have endless resources,” he says in his award acceptance speech. “But we had one thing really going for us: We had an idea; we had a mission; and we were completely bought into it.”
Defining progress through higher standards
The pair made bold decisions that prioritized long-term impact over short-term gain. “From the outset, we required third-party animal welfare certifications for all our meat ingredients and invested in traceability infrastructure well before consumers expected it, which made the early years more complex and capital intensive,” Langleben says.
Those early investments laid the foundation for differentiation. Today, Open Farm is widely recognized for introducing Canada’s first Certified Humane® pet food and for building a transparent supply chain from scratch.
Those higher standards have broader implications. “Because pets consume a meaningful portion of the global meat and fish supply, this industry has real influence over agricultural practices,” Langleben notes. “By raising standards within pet food, we can positively impact the broader food system at scale.”
— Isaac Langleben, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of Open Farm share
Innovation in pet food is not just about new flavors or formats. “For us, progress means measurable improvements in animal welfare, sustainability and ingredient transparency,” Prehogan notes. “As the industry becomes more accountable and consumers can make more informed choices because standards have improved, that’s progress we’re proud of.”
Scaling those standards requires embedding the mission into every aspect of operations so pet owners can make more informed decisions. “When pet parents choose responsibly sourced, transparently made nutrition, they’re reinforcing the connection between how ingredients are grown or raised and the quality of the food in their pets’ bowls,” Langleben explains. “That demand reinforces accountability within our supply chain and encourages higher standards across the pet industry.”
Each new customer has the power to amplify the brand’s message. “Every new pet parent that feeds Open Farm is expanding the reach of a model that demonstrates how better nutrition, responsible farming, and commercial success can work together to positively influence the broader food system,” he adds.
Aligning purpose and profit
As Open Farm has grown into one of the most ethically sourced and respected pet food brands, maintaining alignment between values and financial performance has remained a priority.
“Our success comes from staying true to our mission, even when it means taking the harder path,” Prehogan emphasizes. “But purpose only works at scale when it’s supported by operational discipline. We’ve built a lean organization with strong systems across sourcing, manufacturing and distribution, allowing us to maintain high standards while driving efficiency and making our products more accessible to pet parents.”
The results speak for themselves: “When values are operationalized and execution is disciplined, purpose and performance become mutually reinforcing and drive long-term value creation,” Prehogan adds.
Being part of the YPO community has offered invaluable peer support for the husband-and-wife team, who joined YPO in 2019. “It has provided something every entrepreneur needs but rarely finds: honest perspective,” Langleben notes. In addition, “it allows you to pressure-test assumptions, assess risk more clearly, and approach pivotal decisions with both ambition and discipline.”
Looking ahead, Langleben and Prehogan remain committed to the company’s foundational beliefs. “We’re focused on continuing to execute on the fundamentals that brought us here – delivering exceptional, responsibly sourced nutrition, investing in meaningful innovation across our portfolio, and deepening our connection with pet parents,” Langleben explains.
Growth is a means to a greater end. “Growth, for us, is not the end goal – it’s the engine that allows us to influence more of the agricultural system and raise the bar across our industry and beyond,” he says.
For aspiring entrepreneurs, Prehogan offers practical guidance: “Be clear about your nonnegotiables early. The larger you become, the harder it is to retrofit values into a business model.”
Trust and authenticity are key components of success. “The next generation understands that responsibility and performance are not opposing forces – they can be symbiotic – and that real differentiation comes from walking the walk,” she says.
With their national win and global stage ahead, Langleben and Prehogan’s journey stands as compelling proof that good food never fails in bringing people – and their pets – together.
Meet more YPO members recognized as EY’s Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2025 country winners.
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