Works as a dog food expert and is a lifelong dog lover
Variety and taste acceptance: Butternut Box clearly outperforms Years in recipe range (11 vs. 5) and consistent enthusiasm from Luna, with visible vegetable and meat pieces versus the less appealing texture of Years.
Digestibility and health impact: Both improved Luna’s coat, but Butternut Box gave quicker relief for her sensitive stomach and more stable energy levels, while Years initially caused loose stools.
Practicality of feeding: Butternut Box’s pre-portioned pouches simplified daily routines and storage, whereas Years’ trays required manual measuring and took up more space.
Reliability and service: Butternut Box demonstrated stronger customer service, faster issue resolution, and a more intuitive ordering system, while Years showed more subscription and packaging complaints.
Company maturity and transparency: Butternut Box, as a B Corp with long-term research partnerships, appears as the more established and dependable brand, while Years still shows signs of operational growing pains despite strong scientific backing.
| Criteria | Butternut Box | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Ingredient quality | 5/5 | 4/5 |
| Nutritional value | 4/5 | 5/5 |
| Value for money | 5/5 | 4/5 |
| Digestibility | 5/5 | 3/5 |
| Reliability | 5/5 | 3/5 |
| Gemiddelde | 4,8/5 | 3,8/5 |
I’ve spent the past few months thoroughly testing both dog food brands with Luna, and it’s time to share what we discovered. As a 6-year-old Labrador with a sensitive stomach, she was the perfect candidate to compare Butternut Box and Years. Both brands promise fresh, healthy food that could extend your dog’s life, but how do they actually stack up?
Butternut Box was founded by two former bankers who witnessed how fresh food transformed their rescue Stafford’s life. The company has been around since 2016 and has grown into Europe’s largest fresh dog food brand. With over £380 million in investments and B Corp certification, they’ve built a solid foundation.
Years is the newer player (launching in 2022) with an impressive scientific story. They base their approach on research showing that dogs on fresh food live an average of 32 months longer. That’s nearly three years! Their founder Darren Beale brings experience from MuscleFood, which shows in their professional approach.
What strikes me is how Years leans heavily on that scientific backing – they constantly emphasize how their food could add years to your dog’s life. Butternut Box takes a more subtle approach to health benefits, though they also conduct extensive research with universities.
Years offers five core recipes, each with gastropub-worthy names like “Chicken Thigh Mediterranean Casserole” and “Steak & Kidney Mushroom Hotpot”. They use 40-60% meat in their recipes, which beats many premium kibbles.
Butternut Box goes further with eleven different recipes, including two grain-inclusive options and even a vegetarian alternative. Their meat percentage sits consistently at 60% for meat recipes. Luna was particularly keen on their “Beef It Up” and “Gobble Gobble Turkey” – she licked her bowl spotless every time.
With Years, Luna’s favourite was the “Salmon & Pollock Cauliflower Bake”, but honestly, her enthusiasm was less consistent. Sometimes she’d leave half and only finish later. The food also looked less appealing – more like brown mush than the recognisable chunks of vegetables and meat you see with Butternut Box.
The variety is a clear win for Butternut Box. With eleven recipes, I could keep Luna’s menu much more interesting.
Both companies offer personalised meal plans, which is brilliant!
Years asks detailed questions about breed, age, weight, activity level, and even neutering status. They mention using different ingredients for different breeds, which is unique.
Butternut Box also uses a clever system. Their algorithm not only calculates how much Luna needs but adjusts this throughout her life. The pre-portioned pouches have a handy diagram showing exactly how much to feed – works like a charm.
The Butternut Box ordering process felt more intuitive. Their website is clear and adjusting deliveries through their app is seamless. With Years, I struggled more with managing my subscription – various customers even report issues with unauthorised payments and difficulties cancelling online.
An overlooked but crucial aspect: how practical is it really?
Years delivers their food in trays that don’t need refrigeration until opened – very handy. Once opened, they do need to go in the fridge. The trays are sturdy but take up considerable space. Some customers also report underweight packages and leaky trays, though I fortunately didn’t experience this.
Butternut Box comes in pre-portioned pouches that go straight into the freezer. They deliver in recycled cardboard boxes with FSC-certified packaging. The pouches themselves aren’t recyclable yet, which I find disappointing.
For my situation, the Butternut Box system worked better. The pouches are easier to stack in the freezer and portioning is simpler. With Years, I had to calculate how much to scoop from a tray myself, which sometimes caused stress during busy mornings.
Years has impressive stats: their food gets a 96% rating from All About Dog Food for adult dogs. It contains plenty of vegetables (26%), seeds (6%) and fruit (7.5%). They also add premium supplements worth about £85, including prebiotics, probiotics and essential oils.
Butternut Box also scores excellently with 88% from All About Dog Food and has 90-96% digestibility for proteins (versus 70-82% for traditional kibble). Their research with the University of Surrey shows measurable improvements in skin health and overall wellbeing.
With Luna, I saw a glossy coat with both brands after about two months. However, her sensitive stomach reacted differently: with Butternut Box, she had firmer stools and less wind from week one. With Years, the adjustment took longer – she had regular loose stools for the first two weeks, though this improved later.
The most striking difference was Luna’s energy level. With Butternut Box, she seemed more alert during our morning walks. With Years, this effect was present but less pronounced. This might be due to different fat percentages – Butternut Box has more variation in fat content between recipes (3.5% to 10%) while Years is less specific about these figures.
Let’s be honest: both brands are a significant investment.
For Luna (28 kg), I pay about £2.90-£3.85 per day with Years, which comes to £88-117 per month. That’s roughly 40% more expensive than premium kibble.
Butternut Box costs £3.92-£5.28 per day for her weight if I choose frequent deliveries. But – and this is important – if I opt for deliveries every 40 days (needing more freezer space), this drops to £3.30-£4.20 per day. With smart planning, I’m looking at about £100-126 per month.
Both brands come quite close in price, though Years is slightly cheaper. However, with Butternut Box, I can share 50% off on your first two orders, letting you try it at a fantastic price! Click here to take advantage of the discount code.
Butternut Box has a 4.8 score on Trustpilot with over 37,000 reviews. Their customer service is consistently praised. They have an in-house vet (Dr. Ciara Clarke) and veterinary nurses available for advice. As a B Corp certified company, they’re transparent about their impact and donate a meal for every new customer.
Years has a 4.7 on Trustpilot with about 3,900 reviews – also excellent. But there are more complaints about operational issues: underweight packages, subscription management problems, and difficulties reaching customer service (they don’t have a phone number).
Personally, I once had a damaged delivery from Butternut Box – within 24 hours I had a replacement delivery and credit, which I thought was brilliant!
Both companies claim to be sustainable, but their execution differs.
Years recently installed 390 solar panels and uses compostable packaging. They’re saving £22,000 per year on energy, which is impressive!
Butternut Box goes further as a B Corp certified company. They must meet strict social and environmental standards. Their FSC-certified packaging is mostly recyclable (except the pouches). They use “funny shaped” vegetables to reduce food waste and have a strict no-air-freight policy.
Both brands are neck and neck in this department.
This is ultimately what matters most. Luna isn’t an extremely fussy eater, but she often leaves dry food half-finished.
With Years, her reaction was mixed. The first week she ate enthusiastically, but after two weeks her interest waned. I sometimes had to add warm water to make it more appealing. She liked the “Chicken Thigh Mediterranean Casserole” least – ironic given the fancy name.
Butternut Box was a different story. Luna attacked it every time as if she hadn’t eaten for days. Even after three months, she remains enthusiastic. The texture seems more appealing – you can see actual pieces of meat and vegetables, not the more homogeneous mass of Years.
99.4% of dogs finish their Years bowl according to their own research. Butternut Box shows similar figures. But “finishing” and “eating enthusiastically” are two different things.
After three months of testing with Luna, I’m convinced that Butternut Box is the better choice for most dogs and their owners. Want to see how Butternut Box performs against other competitors? Check our Butternut Box vs Different Dog comparison.
Yes, it’s slightly more expensive (about £10 per month more), but the benefits far outweigh this price difference.
Years is absolutely not a bad product. Their 96% AADF rating speaks volumes, and the scientific foundation is solid. The supplement package they add has impressive value. For dogs who aren’t fussy and if convenience matters less to you, Years could be worth trying.
But Butternut Box wins on practically every other front: more recipes, better taste acceptance, superior customer service, more transparency, active scientific research, and a more user-friendly system. Luna’s consistent enthusiasm for their food, combined with the visible health benefits, makes the small extra cost more than worth it.
The key difference? Butternut Box feels like a mature, reliable company that’s been perfecting their offering for years. Years still feels like a startup struggling with growing pains.
For Luna and me, the choice is clear: we’re sticking with Butternut Box. The empty bowl and wagging tail at every mealtime say more than all the scientific studies combined.
