ST. LOUIS — Whitebridge Pet Brands, LLC, the owner of Tiki Pets, Dogswell, Pet Botanics, Crazy Dog, Buddy Biscuits, Cloud Star and Grizzly Pet Products, announced July 29 it has been acquired by NXMH, a family-owned investment firm based in Belgium.

Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Whitebridge assured its customers that the acquisition will result in “minimal disruption.”

The acquisition by NXMH follows more than five years of growth for Whitebridge Pet Brands. The company has continuously expanded its portfolio through acquisitions and new product development across several brands.

“We have been impressed by the Whitebridge team and what the company has accomplished over the last few years,” said Jamie Hong, managing director of NXMH. “We share their strong nutritional philosophy of minimally processed, natural pet food, and we are excited to continue the journey with a focus on pet health, innovation and strong partnerships with distributors and retailers around the globe.”

Whitebridge was previously owned by Frontenac, a Chicago-based private equity firm, since 2014. The company was officially founded in January 2015 when Cloud Star merged with Petropics, the producer of Tiki Cat and Tiki Dog pet food and treat brands. The company went on to acquire Dogswell in April 2017, followed by Cardinal Pet Care in January 2020. Most recently in March 2021, Whitebridge purchased pet supplement producer Grizzly Pet Products.

“At Whitebridge Pet Brands, our team shares a passion for pets and the belief that natural and minimally processed nutrition positively impacts the health and happiness of dogs and cats,” said Olivier Amice, chief executive officer of Whitebridge. “In the spirit of our ‘Better Together’ philosophy, we are now very excited to join forces with NXMH alongside their other international pet food businesses. The new combined scale and footprint will allow us to continue to build our platform and accelerate our development, with more innovation, geographic expansion and new acquisitions.”

Whitebridge Pet Brands’ portfolio includes both wet and dry pet food formulas ranging from meat-first to whole-food to functional recipes, jerky dog treats, biscuits, training treats, wet dog and cat treats, pet supplements and other pet nutrition and health products.

“We are proud of our successful partnership with Whitebridge and of its entire management team,” said Walter Florence, managing partner at Frontenac. “We are confident that Whitebridge and its brands will continue their strong growth under NXMH’s ownership.”

Joseph Rondinelli, principal at Frontenac, added, “…During our ownership, Whitebridge completed five acquisitions and we invested in scaling the organization, which enabled the company to achieve exceptional organic growth through a combination of innovation and expanded points of distribution in North America and globally.”

NXMH manages more than 4 billion in assets through what it describes as “an evergreen source of capital.”

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