To you and me, that doesn’t mean much. If anything, it ranks among the things we don’t need to know. But for a guy in the pet food business, those words are honey-dipped.

You see, firm stool tells RedMoon Custom Pet Food founder Jason Bailey two things. One, his product is working. And two, the fact that someone would sit down and write an email conveying such information means people care. Therefore, Bailey knows that his all-online, supplement-infused pet food is not only changing the lives of cats and dogs, but also the lives of the people who love them.

The pet food industry is a curious marketplace. Some companies would have us believe that dogs should be eating Banana Nut Muffins or that cats require a White Meat Chicken and Cheddar Cheese Soufflé with Garden Greens. Consumers must choose between purchasing food laden with unhealthy fillers and feeding their animals better than their children.

Many pets are even developing serious allergies to the ingredients that make up a large percentage of mass-market food. Gluten, corn, wheat, rice and soy are the main culprits.

So, Bailey started by cutting all of those out completely. Then he developed local ingredient lists that include fresh produce and high-quality meat – and lots of it. On average, you can feed your pet 30-40% less food because it contains more meat. In one example, Bailey talks about a 170 lb mountain dog eating just under two cups of food a day.

But the real game-changer here is that you can completely customize your pet’s food in order to meet specific diets or treat certain health problems. A user-friendly webpage makes it as easy as buying shoes. And every order comes with two free supplements allowing customers to target everything from bad breath and dull coats to immunity and joint health. They even have supplements for digestive, kidney and urinary health.

And it’s delivered to your doorstep. And there’s a 110% money-back guarantee.

If you need yet another vote of confidence, in the six months since they’ve launched, RedMoon has doubled its business every month and only had one bag of cat food returned.

Now that’s a stat every finicky kitty owner can get behind.

Frankly, it’s about time someone took a swing at those little pink paper cups. And Butch Bakery is the contender.

With a ferocious array of ingredients – many of them alcoholic – owner David Arrick set out to create a cupcakery where “Butch Meets Buttercream.” In other words, he wanted to make a cupcake that guys wouldn’t mind eating in public.

If non-Butch cupcakes are easy to peg, Arrick is not. He graduated cum laude at NYU, then worked as a personal trainer for Conan O’Brien in order to support his dream of acting. Then law school, a gig as an asset-backed securities attorney on Wall Street and a few flights to Dubai to interview with real-estate companies. But then, all of that fell through.  

So whether it was the rampant masculinity of Wall Street or the retina-searing memory of Conan doing lunges, Arrick decided to embrace his inner machismo and start making tiny, delicious cakes.

As evidence of his brilliance, there’s the Beer Run – chocolate beer cake with beer-infused buttercream topped with crushed pretzels – and the B-52 – Kahlua-soaked Madagascar vanilla cake with Bailey’s Bavarian filling. Keep the spirits flowing with the Old-Fashioned, a delightful orange-soaked whiskey cake with lemon curd filling. (Other alcoholic flavors include the Mojito, Rum & Coke and brandy-addled Sidecar.)

But it’s not just booze. It’s bacon, too. The Home Run features peanut butter cake with banana Bavarian cream and crumbled bacon. Some bawdy innuendo – “More fun than getting to third base!” – rounds out the booze/bacon/bravado trifecta.

Butch Bakery offers 12 manly flavors in all. Each is topped with a decorated disc of chocolate. Designs include Camouflage, Wood Grain, Plaid and Houndstooth. Currently, all ordering is online and limited to Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn, but a storefront and distance delivery are on the way.

For us, one question remains. Given the history with America’s favorite funnyman, where’s the Coco-nut Cream Puff flavor?

But if you had an account with Venmo, all you’d have to do is text 646.863.9557 with a message saying “Who” and “How Much.” The money is then charged from your credit card or bank account. (But what if your friend doesn’t have a Venmo account? She gets a simple text with info on how to withdraw her mula.) All very PayPal-ish, only more mobile, casual and customizable.

About a year ago, Andrew Kortina, co-creator of Venmo, was hosting his freshman year roomy from UPenn (and soon-to-be Venmo co-creator) Iqram Magdon-Ismail. Except Iqram forgot his wallet in Philly. So Andrew covered him all weekend, no sweat. Iqram, of course, sent a check when he got home, but Andrew never remembered to cash it. And the light bulbs went off.

Who can you use this service with? Anyone you “Trust” (share your account with) on Venmo. “Trust is kind of like opening a tab at a restaurant or giving your sister your credit card to buy something,” Andrew said. “Once you Trust someone, you never have to worry about owing them money again, because whenever they need money from you, they can just take it.”

That’s right, they can take your money. So it’s best to think of Trust with a capital “T”. 

But it’s not Trust exclusive. You can use Venmo with any merchant or vender who has a text-messaging cell, thereby avoiding that awkward checkout counter moment where you realize they don’t accept plastic.

But with vendors and the like, the transaction has to be verified by you before it will go through. Likewise, Venmo allows you to turn your phone into a portable invoicing machine, making it great for small businesses.

Eventually, the goal is for Venmo to be accepted everywhere as a convenient alternative to things like MasterCard and Visa. And Iqram and Andrew have a little experience with the big rival thang – right after college, they created WeMusicStore, a web-based iTunes competitor.

So, revolutionizing the way human beings distribute resources was the next logical move.

While some beer companies might be in it only for the bucks, New Belgium holds a number of values. First is the production of world-class beers and “the promotion of beer culture and the responsible enjoyment of beer.” However, the company also champions social, cultural and environmental change.

New Belgium’s protection of natural resources is demonstrated in a number of ways. An innovative, efficient brew kettle uses less energy than traditional methods, and the green design of the building features efficient lighting and cooling as well as recycled materials. Methane derived from cleaning the water used in beer production is used to supply up to 15% of the facility’s energy.

• The company was founded in a basement in Fort Collins, Colorado; the founder’s wife was the first bottler, sales rep, distributor and marketer in an enterprise that has grown to nearly 350 employees
• An electrical engineer, the founder built his own home brewing system out of recycled dairy equipment, moving to commercial production in 1991 based on favorable reviews by friends

A bike trip in Belgium served as the inspiration for both the company name and the moniker of the first product, Fat Tire, an amber brew. This employee-owned operation also awards an ownership stake to celebrate workers’ first anniversaries, along with a cruiser bike.

New Belgium also sponsors a philanthropic bike festival, Tour de Fat. Along with the inherently green nature of human-powered transportation, the event features a solar-powered stage and compostable cups to sample the beer. And Team Wonderbike, with more than 10,000 members, has gathered pledges to increase ridership. In all, the company designates 1% of its revenue to be donated to nonprofit organizations that support the environment.

Looking ahead, New Belgium has set even more aggressive goals for environmental responsibility. Reduction in carbon footprint by 25% and water usage by 10%, along with increase in landfill diversion rate to 95% are the next accomplishments on the horizon.

With all the talk of environmental responsibility, don’t forget the beer. The company site provides a description of each of its nearly 39 varieties, some seasonal. Each includes food pairing recommendations from “flavorful chefs and sensory magicians.”

Changing the definition of green beer from a St. Patrick’s Day beverage to a value-driven approach is New Belgium’s claim to fame.  The company is hoping its customers will be motivated to drink responsibly, and, while they’re at it, not have too much beer.

 “Promoting awareness and use of fashionable, functional clothing for men and women” is the mission of Fashion Moves. Its goal is to “move the fashion and garment trades into the 21st Century, and encourage them to follow the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and similar legislation.” Citing examples of its target groups, the organization is aiming to meet challenges such as designing evening gowns that will not tangle in wheels for the Ms. Wheelchair America Pageant, as well as business attire for professionals who use wheelchairs. Likewise, solutions are sought for buttons and fasteners that can pose difficulties for those with Parkinson’s and other neurological disabilities.

 The competition is open to all designers and students of design, with the goal of encouraging careers that will take into account those with special needs. Contestants can choose among several garment categories: at home and leisure, sport and casual, office and professional, semi-formal and formal, outerwear and lingerie. Winning designs will become paper sewing patterns, with royalties from their sale paid to the winning designers. 

• Fashion Moves was founded by Ruth Clark, whose mother designed and sewed clothing for family members with disabilities and residents of nursing homes
• After her father’s abilities declined because of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s Disease, Ruth founded Fashion Magic Apparel in 2002, designing and sewing custom clothing for wheelchair users; the company is run out of her home

 Following a series of small fashion shows, Fashion Moves was created as a forum to heighten interest in this specialized clothing niche, tapping into an underserved market. The company’s founder also gives presentations to a variety of groups on related topics, ranging from brief talks to full-day workshops. 

The competition opened in September 2009 and closes in the late spring of 2010, with awards to be presented in the fall of this year. Fashion Moves is actively seeking sponsors, with support at levels ranging from $10 – $40,000 and featuring opportunities to boost awareness of sponsor businesses through the website and contest promotional materials.

Fashion Moves, through its commitment, is challenging an entire industry to become involved in helping an important segment of the population button up. This is a moving challenge, designed to help break down barriers for people on the move. 

Me to We Style distinguishes itself from the competition in several important ways. First, the manufacturing process is designed to respect the earth as well as its residents. Using fabrics made of organic cotton and bamboo, they eliminate pesticides and chemicals from the process. Instead, the plants are weeded with hoes, and natural repellants such as chili and garlic discourage bugs without harming the planet. 

All land used in growing the raw materials for Me to We’s clothing has been free of chemical pesticides for a minimum of three years. The clothes are manufactured in sweatshop-free facilities where workers receive fair wages for their work.

Environmental concerns are only part of Me to We’s positive impact. 50% of the company’s profit is donated to its charity partner Free the Children, giving back to the areas where the raw materials are grown. The charity supports development projects in rural, underprivileged areas around the world. Pointing out that over one billion people in the world subsist on less than $1 per day, the organization works with educational programs designed to improve these conditions for children. More than a million children have been involved in the organization’s programs in 45 different countries.

Me to We Style is based in Toronto, Canada, and the clothing is manufactured in Canadian plants. The company’s products include an assortment of men’s and women’s apparel, featuring tees, tank tops, sweatshirts, polos, pants, scarves and dresses in a variety of styles and colors. Tees start at $25, and they offer a “buy three, get one” deal. For larger quantities, corporations, schools, teams and organizations can work with Me to We on custom designs. To compound the company’s good deeds, orders of 12 or more items are provided at half price for fundraising purposes.

Aptly named, Me to We Style encourages consumers to focus less on me and more on we. It’s counting on styling a successful challenge – not only for the company, but also for the suppliers and the charity that benefit from its success.

Unlike companies who turn a blind eye to the environment in which their products are produced, Dean’s Beans considers the conditions of the farming communities and trade practices of its beans to be the company’s responsibility. Personally meeting with each of its farming partners, they set priorities for the farmers’ development and help design programs for implementation. 

Considering these actions “social change, not charity,” the programs are funded by the company, with the cost built into the purchase price of its products. To Dean’s Beans, social change and environmental responsibility are simply part of the cost of doing business.

Dean’s Beans features dark roasts, medium roasts and light/dark blends, along with flavored coffees that include French vanilla, hazelnut, mud pie and pecan. Unroasted green coffee is available for the do-it-yourselfer. Organic hot cocoa and organic fair trade white and brown sugars round out the offerings, along with a variety of grinders and roasters. A few details for finding and purchasing Dean’s Beans coffee are:

• Coffees are roasted at the company’s beanery in Orange, Massachusetts
• Along with online shopping, Dean’s Beans products are available in stores in 34 different states in the US
• Most coffees sell for $7.25 per pound, with decaf at $8.00 and flavored coffees up to $8.50; unroasted coffees are a bargain, starting at $4.50 per pound

Dean’s Beans works with farmers in a number of African and South American countries and provides information about its growers on the website. “People in the coffee industry make an enormous profit at the expense of the farmers who are responsible for their success,” says CEO Dean Cycon. The company’s commitment was put to the test when they voluntarily underwent an independent audit of their Fair Trade practices and passed with flying colors.

Dean’s Beans’ environmental commitment has also included putting its money where its coffee-sipping mouth is. When Keurig, a manufacturer of single-serve coffee makers, asked Dean’s Beans to be its supplier of organic products, they suggested that Keurig reduce their heavy use of non-biodegradable plastics in favor of a more sustainable approach. When these suggestions were rejected, Dean’s Beans declined the offer – a costly decision.

When asked to describe the company’s Challenger Brand status, CEO Dean Cycon replied: “We’re challenging the entire industry. The structure of our business is so radically different – a for-profit company that is also dedicated to effective participation in social change.”

Dean’s Beans is challenging competitors, but it’s also challenging the public to stir the pot for the benefit of the coffee growers. They’re counting on consumers, hoping that those who look forward to their morning brew will drink up this new approach.

Mounting a challenge to corporate giants such as Procter & Gamble and Johnson & Johnson requires something special, and Cremo Cream makes impressive claims. Tired of starting the day with bits of tissue covering your face? This challenger “dramatically reduces cuts, nicks, scrapes and razor irritation.” It also boasts a close, comfortable, long-lasting shave that leaves skin astonishingly soft and smooth.

Most importantly, Cremo Cream’s ingredients are unique to its industry – it contains no glycerin and instead is made up of ingredients like macadamia seed oil, aloe leaf juice and papaya extract that contribute to a frictionless shave.

While most shaving products are foams containing air, Cremo Cream is a rich, thick mixture that protects and moisturizes the skin. The product, which comes in a tube, was designed to be applied with the fingers, but for those who are a bit more traditional, a brush and bowl can also be used. The cream is available in a light citrus fragrance, and fragrance-free and tropical scents are in the works.

• On drugstore.com, Cremo Cream was the  top-selling, 5-star customer-rated shaving cream
• The product is currently available at small chain stores, individual retailers and online at sites that include Amazon and CVS
• It is priced at $7.99 per tube

Created in a lab by a team of chemists, the product’s development took much iteration over several months. The main developer, a Stanford-educated engineer, teamed up with Kyle Schroeder, a model-turned-business-developer who now runs the company as President.

“We give the consumer a choice,” explains Schroeder. It’s crazy that you go into the supermarket and read the first five ingredients of the top three brands and they’re all the same.” He notes that the brand leaders’ only differentiation is through marketing and fragrance.

The company has taken a personalized approach to building a relationship with the customer. “We have to find unusual ways to compete with the big guys, like personalized notes and gift-with-purchases,” Schroeder explains. The web site features live chats, and he posts his personal cell phone number and signs rebate checks himself. Cremo Cream hopes this approach will shave a few points from the leaders’ market share, creating smooth sailing ahead.

Tappening, rather than promoting a specific brand, was created to increase market share in a rather mundane, typically unbranded product: “Tap water is the ultimate Challenger Brand,” states Mark DiMassimo, co-founder of Tappening. “It seemed to us that bottled water had a good business model, and tap water had a lousy business model, and as a result, people were over-consuming bottled water. So, we adopted tap water.”

Tappening’s strategy is unique. While some advertisers develop but deny deceptive strategies, efforts to promote use of tap water include creating deliberate lies about bottled water on a site created for that purpose, http://www.startalie.com/. Tappening’s ads claim that bottled water includes “98% polar ice caps and 2% polar bear tears,” “makes acid rain fall on playgrounds,” “causes blindness in puppies,” and is the “primary cause of restless leg syndrome.” Posters with these slogans can be downloaded and sent to friends via e-mail, twitter or Facebook, or visitors can start and disseminate their own lies on the website.

Behind its deliberate lies, Tappening is one selfless organization:

• The only products Tappening sells are a few BPA-free plastic and stainless steel water bottles, asking users to “Think Global. Drink Local.”
• The entire undertaking is funded by several ad executives who want to put their skills to work for the greater good

Tappening is concerned about the lack of disclosure by bottled water companies. Although labels picture pristine streams and dazzling waterfalls, the source of the water is not as clear as the graphics indicate. Often, laboratory analysis shows that the product is no better than, or even not as good as, what comes out of the kitchen sink. 

The effort’s founders believe that, with the money wasted on bottled water, the US could provide health insurance to every child in the US. Tappening’s goal, rather than profitability, is to contribute to a societal shift by spearheading an anti-bottled water movement. “Our measures of success were not just marketing and business goals,” explains Di Massimo. “We had movement goals, to increase the amount of tap water consumed.” 

Although Tappening’s objectives and tactics may be a bit unconventional, their thinking can be applied to any Challenger Brand. “You can’t challenge by imitating,” says DiMassimo. “Know who you’re taking the market from – identify the enemy and go after them.” This is a company whose battles are fought not with grenades and rockets, but with high-powered water guns – filled right from the tap.

Italian for “clean mouth,” Bocca Pura is launching a battle against germy toothbrushes. Bocca Pura boasts that spraying the toothbrush purifier product once or twice daily on your toothbrush will exterminate 99.9 percent of germs. Uniquely, the substance does not contain alcohol but rather natural ingredients in a proprietary formula of essential oils.

According to the company, other methods of sanitizing toothbrushes have major drawbacks. Dishwashers can distribute leftover particles of food, and hydrogen peroxide is intended for external use only. Commercial manual and electronic products are considerably more expensive and can take up to an hour to complete the sanitizing cycle.

Although developed for toothbrushes, the product’s disinfectant prowess qualifies it for other uses, and recent concerns about H1N1 outbreaks have created new opportunities. As a hand sanitizer, Bocca Pura triumphs over alcohol-based competitors, which can result in dry skin and leave an unpleasant sticky residue. Some additional uses mentioned include shopping cart handles, toilet seats in public restrooms and hotels, door handles, diaper changing stations and public telephones.

The company has roots in health and nutrition, and it’s looking to grow:

• Bocca Pura was developed by Optimum Health LLC, founded in 1994 in Valencia, California as a nutritional supplement and counseling company
• The product is available in a one-ounce travel size, priced at $6.95, and a four-ounce family size for $14.95
• Bocca Pura is seeking distributors and is offering special pricing as an incentive

The company’s founder, whose background is in natural foods and supplements, found a way to make lemonade out of lemons when his kidney transplant inspired the development of Bocca Pura. Transplant patients’ immune systems are suppressed, lessening the odds of organ rejection, but also leaving the patients more vulnerable to pathogens. Bocca Pura was his answer to this risk.

Even healthy users can benefit from the product, according to Bocca Pura. It claims to contribute to improved dental health, stronger gums, fresher breath and whiter teeth as a result of the cosmetic-grade hydrogen used in the formula. The company recommends an extra spritz on teeth and gums after brushing and advises use on toothbrush travel cases, retainers and mouth guards.

Saverio Persico, chief operating officer and co-founder, said, “Just recently, people in the cosmetic industry have been interested in the product, and they are starting to understand what we do and point out other newer and better benefits that even we didn’t expect. Orthodontists have used our products. We have testimonials from doctors who love the product.”

As the product finds new uses and new markets, Bocca Pura is counting on its natural approach to clean living to brush aside competitors. At a time when microscopic menaces are posing a larger threat, it’s hard to go wrong with a pure mouth.

President and Co-founder Anthony Bennie, a nutritionist with 17 years in the pet food business, was inspired by the health problems of his own puppy. He explains: “I’m trying to bridge the gap between the two sides of the gulf – people food and pet food.”

While some pet owners will spend more to purchase premium pet foods, the nutritional value of treats is often ignored by shoppers. While parents may limit their children’s consumption of unhealthy foods like candy and chips, pet treats are often not critically evaluated.

“Blackwing’s products come from sustainable, free-range organic ranches and specialized sources that are certified as free of steroids, added hormones, antibiotics and pesticides,” Bennie elaborates. ”And to differentiate us even further, we handle all of the ingredients exactly as they would be handled for human food use – they are kept frozen until processed and then only processed at human food plants rather than pet food plants.”

Blackwing for Pets’ high standards are a direct result of the company’s roots in the food industry:

• Blackwing Meats is a family-owned company that supplies five star restaurants with certified organic meats from free-range ranchers
• The pet treats company was founded when customers began requesting dog bones and treats

Blackwing Five Star Organic Beef and Buffalo Bones, the company’s featured product, is made from organic piedmontese beef and organic buffalo. The product has no toxins, pesticides, hormones or other added chemicals.

The Blackwing website lists several online retailers as well as stores, by state, that carry the product. To show the company’s commitment to consumers, the website introduces the staff, including the safety manager, accounts receivable, transportation specialist and shipping specialist – Bijou, Isis, Tiger and Tucker all appear remarkably canine. A page of photos and testimonials from satisfied doggie customers follows.

To date, the company has relied heavily on word of mouth from industry insiders and specialty retailers. “If you make a great product and give it to family-owned stores and teach them what it’s about, they become your advertising and marketing partners,” says Bennie. “That’s how you market a great product.”  

Bennie further attests to the quality of the product, assuring, “We would eat it ourselves.” Perhaps we humans will pass on that, but Blackwing for Pets is mounting a brand challenge in a dog-eat-bone industry.

The process of creating a VoiceQuilt is much simpler than stitching, and there’s no risk of pricked fingers. First, using an email message the company has crafted, the person initiating the gift invites significant people in the recipient’s life to call a toll-free number and record a message from the heart, or perhaps even a song. The remainder of the process is web-based – email alerts announce the recording of additional messages, and all of the messages can be accessed online, labeled and placed in your preferred order. 

After the messages are recorded and assembled, the completed Quilt can be distributed electronically via email or downloaded as an MP3 file to be played on a computer or digital music player. The process of creating and distributing the file is free of charge. However, the recording can also be delivered in a variety of keepsake packages, ranging from a simple audio CD to gift boxes that play the messages when the lid is lifted, and can include picture frames and other gift items for anniversaries, birthdays, baby gifts or any occasion. These gifts ship the next day.

• Prices range from $16.95 for the CD up to $159.99 for a wooden Anniversary Box that comes with a leather CD holder and picture frame and is equipped with controls for playing selected messages
• The company’s inspiration came from the serious illness of a friend’s husband; although he was unconscious, friends and family spoke to him constantly, and he recovered against significant odds, reinforcing the power of the human voice

Jay Shaffer, the company’s Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer, explains the rationale behind the Challenger Brand: “People don’t share stories the way they used to. We wanted to make it easy for families to call in and share stories. A person’s voice can say so much and share so much emotion. Anything people can type into a website, they can say into a phone.”

Believing VoiceQuilt is “challenging the gift industry status quo,” Shaffer adds that the company believes that “voice will lead the next wave of personalization for gifts, and VoiceQuilt is poised to capitalize on that trend.”  Looking into the future, Shaffer is hoping to partner with larger gift companies. 

The company has progressed in some interesting ways; people have been buried with their VoiceQuilts, and the company partnered with a school to send messages from its students to President Obama, who referred to the product as “remarkable.” From six feet under to the heights of power, this is a company that plans to have a strong voice, becoming the gift of choice for those who want to piece together sentiment and technology in a single package.