LOS ANGELES and AMSTERDAM — Green Boy Group, a global supplier of plant-based food ingredient solutions, announced April 16 the launch of a new division dedicated to serving the pet food market. The company’s new pet food division was established on April 1 and will leverage its multinational presence to supply premium plant-based ingredients, including starches, sweeteners, proteins and fibers, to pet food manufacturers around the world.

“Green Boy has always operated with the goal of accelerating the plant-based food reformation, to help with the transition from animal-based food products to plant-based food products,” said Peter van Dijken, co-founder and owner of Green Boy. “We want to lower the dependence on meat, fish and dairy. It is a logical next step for Green Boy to apply the same modus operandi to the pet food market as we service similar ingredients to our food customers worldwide for eight years already.”

According to Jeroen van den Heuvel, managing director at Green Boy, the company will focus the efforts of its new pet food division on North America, Europe and Oceania. Ingredient solutions offered by Green Boy will be applicable for both dry and wet pet food formulations, among other product types and formats.

“This expansion into the pet food market fits into Green Boy’s growth and sustainability strategy,” van den Heuvel added. “Pet food producers are still using large amounts of animal proteins. We want to offer a plant-based alternative for them — our aim is to make functional, high-quality plant-based pet food ingredients more accessible to this exciting market.”

Founded in 2016, Green Boy is focused on plant-based solutions that help processors meet demand for non-GMO and organic food products. The company operates locations in Los Angeles, Chicago, Amsterdam, Hong Kong and Sydney.

“The pet food market is very interesting for Green Boy; it is an ever-expanding playfield from a consumer perspective,” added Frederik Otten, co-founder and owner of Green Boy. “In 2024, its expected sales will be around $60 billion with an anticipated growth rate of about 6% per year. We know we can add value to our existing customer network because many of the large brands we supply also have a very strong presence in the pet food market.”

Read more about product development, ingredients and formulation.