Every brand has a beginning. Ours has whiskers. Before there were boxes, couriers and three kinds of grass, there was one cat called KAT, one kitchen, and a vet's suggestion that turned into a habit. Her story explains almost everything about how Sprouties works today: why the grass is fresh, why it arrives ready to nibble, and why we deliver it across the UAE on the day it is harvested. So here it is, from that first homegrown grass to the box at your door.
Read on for the questions people ask us most about how it all began.
The short version: one cat, one vet's suggestion, about ten years of growing.
Q: Who is KAT?
A: KAT is the cat who started it all. That is her real name, in capitals, and she is the reason Sprouties exists.
Q: So how does one cat end up starting a cat grass company? It is not the most obvious career path, even by cat standards.
A: It started with a trip to the vet.
Q: Nothing too serious, we hope?
A: KAT had a UTI, about ten years ago.
Q: That sounds stressful. Where does grass come into a story about a vet visit?
A: Her vet recommended adding fresh cat grass to her routine. Our founder, Ammar Bardesi, was not sure what to expect, but he started growing it at home.
Q: How did KAT take to it?
A: She recovered, and the grass stayed.
Q: Stayed how? Plenty of cats try something once and never look at it again.
A: Long after she was well, she kept coming back to it. It became part of her day, a quiet thing she looked forward to, so Ammar kept growing it. Over the years he got better at it, too: which grasses worked, which growing methods worked, what kept the grass fresh. Then friends and family with cats started asking if he could grow some for them. So he did. If you have ever had a friend ask for just one more of something you make at home, you know how that goes. One cat's habit slowly became a kitchen full of grass for other people's cats.
Q: Then what changed?
A: He noticed a gap. Finding fresh, ready-to-enjoy cat grass in the UAE was surprisingly hard, even for people who were actively looking for it.
Q: Hard how? Surely someone, somewhere, was already selling grass for cats.
A: Not like this.
Q: What were the options back then?
A: DIY kits took over a week to grow, and the results were hit or miss. Pet store options were inconsistent. Most cat owners he talked to had either tried and given up, or never knew cat grass was something their cat might enjoy. He had spent years growing it well at home. Nobody else seemed to be doing it.
"He had spent years solving this in his kitchen. He realized he could solve it for everyone."
Q: So Sprouties began. What does that kitchen habit look like today?
A: A lot bigger, and a lot faster. Every box is organic, grown hydroponically right here in the UAE, pesticide-free and non-GMO. We harvest it the morning it is delivered, pack it chilled, and it reaches you the same day between 12 PM and 10 PM. Order today and your box arrives the next day, across all seven emirates. We do not deliver on Sundays or UAE public holidays, so a Saturday order arrives on Monday. No growing, no week of waiting, no guessing. Just fresh grass, ready the day it arrives.
Because no two cats are quite the same.
Q: That explains the three grasses. Tell us about each one. What makes wheat, oat and barley different from each other?
A: Wheat is our most popular grass: soft, fine grass and a daily ritual for cats prone to stress, naturally containing chlorophyll, vitamins C and E, and trace minerals. Oat is crisp grass for cats who are particular about what they eat, and it naturally contains fiber and minerals. Barley is harvested young, when its leaves hold the most natural antioxidants, with broad leaves for adult and senior cats who nibble at their own pace, and it naturally contains vitamins C and E and carotenoids. All three help with hairballs. If you can't decide, the Complete Wellness Bundle rotates all three.
Q: There is clearly a lot of care in how a box is grown. But a home with a cat is a busy place, and plenty of people worry that anything new means more chores. How much looking after does a box actually need?
A: Hardly any, which was rather the point. Two days after it arrives, add a little water at the base of the box, never on the grass. Keep the box out of direct sun, and in the UAE summer, the fridge works well. A box stays good for about 7 days from harvest. When the grass yellows or wilts later in the week, it has reached the end of its time and can go in the compost.
Q: Refreshingly low-maintenance. And if someone's cat simply does not take to it?
A: Then we try again. That is the Happy Cats Guarantee: if your box arrives with a problem, we send you a new one. Subscribers whose cat doesn't take to a grass get another grass to try, and can have their money back if that one isn't for them either.
Q: What does KAT's story mean for how Sprouties runs now, day to day?
A: It keeps us focused on the cat. KAT's grass was never a big event. It was a small, quiet part of her day, there whenever she wanted it. That is still how we think about every box: offered, never pushed, and enjoyed at your cat's own pace. It is also why we harvest the morning a box is delivered rather than days before: the grass KAT nibbled came straight from the kitchen, and the grass your cat nibbles should be just as fresh. And it is why we never sell seeds or DIY kits. The whole idea is that you should not have to grow it yourself.
Q: KAT started with one kitchen and a few lucky friends. How far has her idea traveled since then?
A: Further than one cat could have planned. Today it is 10,000+ cats served across the UAE. Our grass is vet approved, and vets recommend it to their patients. Vet clinics can partner with us, and rescues and foster homes can message us about standing orders. Not bad for an idea that began with one cat in one kitchen, and a habit she simply would not give up.
Q: Any last words for cat owners who have never tried grass?
A: Let your cat decide. It started with KAT. Now it's for every cat in the UAE.
Questions? Email contact@sprouties.ae or message us on WhatsApp.
Find a box your cat can call their own among our three fresh grasses, harvested the morning they are delivered and good for about 7 days.
