MANILA, PHILIPPINES — Century Pacific Food, Inc., a leading food producer based in the Philippines, is moving into the pet food space with its latest brand, Goodest. The new brand’s first few products include a range of cat food designed with price point and essential nutrition in mind.

“Pet food is one of the fastest growing consumer goods categories in the Philippines and around the world,” said Christopher Po, executive chairman at Century Pacific. “With long-term trends such as rising incomes as well as demographic trends of people staying single longer or having children later, as well as people spending more time at home due to the pandemic, we see pet ownership on the rise. More Filipino households are now caring for pets and treating them as family. Moreover, the penetration of pet food is still very low in the Philippines versus our more affluent ASEAN [southeast Asian] neighbors. We expect this category to continue growing going forward.”

Goodest cat foods meet nutritional standards set by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), the company stated. The brand will be sold across the Philippines in leading supermarket chains and e-commerce platforms.

“Pet care holds a lot of promise as a category,” noted Alexander Lim, head of innovations and general manager of pet food at Century Pacific. “Pet owners have now evolved into ‘fur parents.’ These are newly married couples who are delaying having children, singles living alone in their condos especially during this pandemic, or young families cultivating in their kids the values of care and responsibility. For them, pets are family and should be given the best care and nutrition possible within their reach.”

Century Pacific is largely a manufacturer of export tuna products and has built its brand as a market-leading provider of shelf-stable marine and meat products. The company has been recently investing in dairy and coconut categories, as well as the market for plant-based meat alternatives. Adding a pet food business is another step toward diversification.

“We are always on the lookout for opportunities to expand our portfolio, whether organically or inorganically, but it needs to be purposeful,” Po added. “In the case of pet food, we think we have found an attractive opportunity where we believe we can offer compelling value to the market. We see this as a strongly synergistic and accretive business unit that can leverage our manufacturing and brand-building know-how. We look forward to building our pet food business and are excited for the vast opportunities that are available for the company in this high-growth category.”

Goodest currently offers three wet cat food formulas in pouches: Chicken Chomp Chunks in Gravy, Tender Tuna Pate, and Mackerel Pate with Chunks.

Read more global pet food and treat news from outside North America.