This article was published in the January/February issue of Pet Food Processing. Read it and other articles from this issue in our January/February digital edition.
Years ago, Gabriel Huertas del Pino, co-founder and chief executive officer of Arch Pet Food, was in search of a solution for hot spots that appeared on his foster dog, Milo. He came to learn that Milo had specific allergies that required a special diet. After speaking with a veterinarian about what kind of diet would be the best solution, food with kangaroo as the source of protein was recommended. Following some further research, del Pino found that alternative protein options could be an even better route.
“I was wondering why these proteins in the novel protein space such as kangaroo, water buffalo and alligator are being suggested when there are so many wonderful superfood, sustainable options available,” he said.
These questions led him to reach out to entrepreneur Adam Mutschler, co-founder and chief strategy officer of Arch, to get his thoughts on these ingredients’ potential.
From left to right: Gabriel Huertas del Pino, co-founder and chief executive officer, and Adam Mutschler, co-founder and chief strategy officer of Arch.
|“I called Adam, he had some thoughts, and that was two and a half years ago,” del Pino said.
From this, Arch emerged, with a mission to create hypoallergenic treats and food options for pets with sustainability in mind. According to del Pino, the company strives to break the pet food industry’s reliance on traditional livestock with wellness-focused alternative proteins.
Ingredients make the difference
In the beginning stages of turning the idea into a product, the two began having conversations with pet owners and experts. It was then that they realized just how common pet allergies were. This realization led them to research using crickets as the protein source in pet food and treats.
“You spend 30 seconds searching insect protein and find that it has higher protein per gram than chicken and beef, and has calcium, fiber, iron and Omega fatty acids,” del Pino explained. “And then you read about the sustainability numbers and think, why aren’t we doing this?”
Through the use of cricket and other alternative proteins, the company is able to provide pet parents with hypoallergenic products, without compromising on nutrition and sustainability. Mutschler and del Pino both appreciate being able to provide a sustainable solution to pet parents who are struggling to find options for their pets.
“When we’re at a market or talking to a customer, they’ll say something about how their dog can’t eat so-and-so,” Mutschler explained. “Seeing their face when we tell them that we made these products because of that problem is the best. “There are millions of dogs in the United States alone that have these issues, so it’s very fun to be able to be in this space.”
Crickets, a key ingredient in Arch’s products, contain all 10 essential amino acids and are full of essential nutrients, including vitamin B, calcium, potassium, and Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids. Additionally, Arch’s products are gluten, soy, beef, chicken and dairy free, avoiding all of the most common allergies among dogs.
Arch offers functional treats formulated to target specific nutrition needs in pets.
|The brand’s functional treats offer specific health benefits. The varieties include Skin & Coat Health, Hip & Joint Health, Digestive Health and Calming Bites with CBD, as well as single-ingredient Silver carp treats for cats and dogs.
“There’s a notion that when you buy a hypoallergenic product, you’re not necessarily focused on the nutrition aspect,” del Pino said. “But when you look at insects, whitefish or even spirulina, the vegan protein that we use, they’re all really nutritious and robust in addition to being sustainable. So, we look for whether we can get the best of everything.”
Searching for sustainability
A key benefit to the alternative proteins that Arch Pet Food uses in its products is that they are highly sustainable in comparison to traditional proteins used in pet food such as chicken and beef.
“One of the biggest challenges is producing a product that is legitimately better for pets than what’s on the market and also very sustainable,” Mutschler said. “For us, it’s kind of a no brainer. Cricket protein, black soldier fly larvae or Silver carp, they’re ridiculously nutritious and incredibly sustainable.
“It almost feels too easy in some ways,” he added. “For example, cricket uses 99% less water per pound for production than beef, so there are elements of what we do that are inherently way more sustainable.”
According to the two founders, the company will not compromise on what it stands for, meaning striving for the best both nutritionally and sustainably is a top priority.
Ensuring that all bases of Arch’s carbon footprint are addressed, packaging is also a priority, with all of its treat packaging using post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic.
The Arch team attended Global Pet Expo 2024 in Orlando, Fla., to help spread the word about its product portfolio.
|“We’ve focused heavily on how we can continue to be as responsible as possible on the packaging side,” Mutschler said. “Ingredients are going to be the biggest contributor in pet to sustainability and packaging is a close second.”
According to Mutschler, as of the end of 2024, the brand’s treat packaging contained about 41% PCR material, which is well above average.
“The current [packaging] supplier that we have is moving to 50% PCR which we’re really excited about,” he added.
The company also uses US-based co-manufacturers throughout the Midwest in an effort to further reduce its carbon footprint.
“When talking about sustainability, there’s ingredients, packaging, processing and then there’s locality. We’ve looked at all four with intentionality,” del Pino explained.
Mutschler cites sustainability as a key factor for his excitement in his company and a driving force for continued innovation and improvement.
“I don’t have any pets, but what keeps pulling me into this business is how much opportunity there is to make a difference in pets’ lives and for the planet,” he said.
“What keeps pulling me into this business is how much opportunity there is to make a difference in pets’ lives and for the planet,” said Adam Mutschler of Arch.
In addition to prioritizing sustainable choices in its production practices, Arch also participates in environmental programs to support its mission. The company is part of 1% for the Planet, which means it donates 1% of its profits toward different nonprofit environmental organizations. Additionally, Arch recently joined Repurpose Global, an organization that extracts plastic from different environments and ecosystems and repurposes it.
“We’re doing as much as we can [for environmental impact] at a very early stage,” Mutschler commented. “We’re excited about the growth we’re having because that means a bigger impact that we can have on all of these initiatives.”
The future of Arch
On the horizon for Arch includes the addition of two limited-ingredient food products for dogs, which the company announced at SUPERZOO 2024. Its Insect & Plant Recipe uses insects as the primary protein source, and the Silver carp recipe uses the invasive fish species as its main protein source. Both recipes are expected to be on the market by Global Pet Expo 2025 in March.
In addition, the company is in the process of developing a cat line. Specifically, it is looking into wet food for cats using Silver carp, which is expected to be introduced in the third or fourth quarter of 2025, according to Arch.
“We already have a treat for cats, but we’re looking to have a full cat line to have a parallel to the efforts we’ve done for dogs,” del Pino explained. “Cats do tend to get neglected by pet consumable companies, so, as always, we’re trying to right a wrong.”
Alongside all these product innovations, Arch is also focusing on its retail presence. The company can now be found on Chewy’s e-commerce platform. The company is also transitioning its name from Arch to Archway.
Arch’s journey has been filled with successes, with a few challenges along the way.
“I feel like all of our challenges have been more like fun road bumps,” del Pino said. “It’s been a very fun journey, fueled by a love of impact and a love of animals.”
With new developments in Arch’s future and no plans to slow down, look for this innovative company to continue building and expanding on its mission, developing hypoallergenic pet food, with nutrition and sustainability top of mind.
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