Learn more about 13 pet food and treat processors in the United States featured in our 2019 Resource Guide.
First known as Ralston Purina before it was purchased by Nestlé in 2001, this pet food manufacturer upholds a long tradition of animal food manufacturing backed by extensive nutritional research and science. With more than 20 brands of pet food and treats, Purina is driven by relentless innovation and a deep understanding of pets’ unique nutritional needs.
Click here to continue reading about Nestlé Purina PetCare.
Mars Petcare is a global company comprised of more than 50 brands that serve pets across the world through nutrition, health, research, technology and veterinary expertise. The company’s driving force is its strategic purpose of A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS™ and nutrition philosophy which reflects a respect for pets and the importance of the foods Mars Petcare makes.
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Putting cats and dogs first is the central focus for Royal Canin, which was founded in the late 1960s by a veterinarian and is now a major subsidiary of Mars Petcare. The company develops nutritional solutions for dogs and cats that cater to specific, functional health needs. This manufacturer is not typically concerned with the latest ingredient and formulation trends driving the pet food market because it is hyper-focused on delivering consistently balanced, tailor-made nutrition for cats and dogs.
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Champion summarizes its nutritional philosophy with an acronym, BAFRINO, which stands for "biologically appropriate food made with fresh, regional ingredients and never outsourced." The company sources ingredients for its premium pet foods and treats as close to home as possible, whether that means from regional farms in Canada or local fisheries in the United States. It refers to its two state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in North America as “kitchens” in order to convey its core vision: to be trusted by pet lovers everywhere.
Click here to learn more about Champion Petfoods, or read the exclusive processor profile of its DogStar Kitchens in Auburn, Ky. featured in our March 2020 magazine.
Acquired by General Mills, Inc. in April 2018, Blue Buffalo Pet Products is a leader in the wholesome natural category with several brands that can now be found anywhere in the spectrum of retail channels. Most recently, the brand entered the Food, Drug and Mass (FDM) space and has made huge strides gaining market share in that channel, as well as e-commerce, over the past year and a half.
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As the market for minimally processed and fresh pet food options continues to grow incrementally, the growth of this pet food company has been anything but incremental. Freshpet is rethinking pet nutrition with its “fresh from the fridge” philosophy. The company has maintained double-digit net sales growth year-over-year since it went public on NASDAQ in 2014. In its most recent financial statement, for the three months ended June 30, 2019, Freshpet reported $60.1 million in net sales. Additionally, the fresh pet food manufacturer grew its earnings by more than 39% between the first quarter of 2018 and the second quarter of 2019.
Click here to learn more about Freshpet, Inc.
WellPet LLC is a big player in the premium pet food space, managing several brands of pet food, treats and dental chews. Its diverse offerings are centralized by the company’s core philosophy that uncompromising nutrition plays a vital role in helping pets lead long and healthy lives. The company believes this diversity across its brands contributes to its continued success in an increasingly crowded pet food and treat market.
Click here to read more about the WellPet LLC family of brands.
The J.M. Smucker Company has been in the pet food and treat business for a long time, but its acquisitions of Big Heart Pet Brands in February 2015 and Ainsworth Pet Nutrition in May 2018 seem to have taken the product category to the next level. In fact, Smucker’s pet segment has grown to be the company’s most profitable product category in terms of net sales, beating the next largest category, coffee, by more than $204 million in net sales in the first quarter of its 2020 fiscal year.
Click here to continue reading about The J.M. Smucker Company's pet food and treat business.
The first Hill’s Pet Nutrition formula was developed, canned and shipped from the basement of veterinary professional Dr. Mark Morris Sr. in the late 1930s. Nearly 40 years later, in 1976, the Colgate-Palmolive Company purchased the pet food maker and transformed it into what it is today. Hill’s Pet Nutrition’s mission is “to help enrich and lengthen the special relationships between people and their pets.” The pet food company invests heavily in research and development to optimize the health benefits of its products, most recently breaking ground on a pet nutrition facility in Topeka specifically for studying small dog nutrition. Hill's employs more than 220 veterinarians, qualified nutritionists and food scientists for its product development and research initiatives.
Click here to read more about Hill's Pet Nutrition.
C.J. Foods was initially a human food manufacturer until the company received a request to produce 100% organic-certified bird feed in 1992. By agreeing — and succeeding — C.J. Foods opened the door that would help it grow into a leading manufacturer of extruded super- and ultra-premium dry pet foods. In February 2020, C.J. Foods merged with American Nutrition, Inc. to create one of the largest manufacturers of super premium pet food in the United States.
Click here to learn more about C.J. Foods, or read the exclusive processor profile of the company's Pawnee City, Kan. manufacturing facility featured in our September 2019 magazine.
Tuffy’s Pet Foods, Inc. is a third-generation, family-owned and operated company. With deep roots and a sprawling manufacturing campus in Perham, Minnesota, Tuffy’s is seeing continued growth and success after 55 years in business. Tuffy’s represents the pet food arm of KLN Family Brands producing more than 200,000 tons of dry pet food annually. The company’s six brands of complete-and-balanced pet diets and treats include dry food, wet food, baked foods, jerky and freeze-dried treats.
Click here to learn more about Tuffy's Pet Foods, or read the exclusive processor profile featured in our December 2019 magazine.
As a dream-team co-manufacturer of pet treats, Pedigree Ovens and The Pound Bakery leans on humanization to drive success for the numerous brands it produces It is heavily involved with helping its clients break into new markets and expand product lines. In fact, that's the way the company began. Pedigree Ovens and The Pound Bakery grew with the small businesses and brands it worked with in the beginning, running 300- or 500-lb. batches to work out kinks in product development and packaging.
Click here to read more about Pedigree Ovens and The Pound Bakery, or read an exclusive processor profile from our June 2018 magazine.
Family-owned Barrett Petfood Innovations is a US-based co-manufacturer that ships globally and sources locally. The company produces more than 150 formulas of animal food for dogs, cats, reptiles, birds, fish, livestock and zoo animals. In the dog and cat food category, Barrett mainly produces super-premium extruded products, such as those with high fresh meat inclusions, as well as premium treats.
Click here to continue reading about Barrett Petfood Innovations.
Take an inside look into Hill's Pet Nutrition's Tonganoxie facility.