GfK: Grain-free pet food has potential to outgrow natural

“Natural” pet food may get all the headlines, but grain-free is the engine powering the natural juggernaut. New data from GfK’s point-of-sale pet panel, which represents more than 11,000 pet specialty stores, shows that grain-free dog and cat food now accounts for one-third (34%) of all pet food sales, and 48% of the “natural” category.
Overall, grain-free SKUs brought in $2.6 billion in the past year (October 2014 to September 2015), a growth rate of 25%. Dog items accounted for $2.1 billion of those sales, with grain-free dog treats spiking a remarkable 43% year over year. And grain-free items now represent 46% of all sales in the Dog Wet category.
In some ways, grain-free’s success is a matter of sheer quantity; 45% of all pet food items introduced in the past year were grain-free – 1,557 new products, compared to 1,355 during the previous 12 months.
Another reason for grain-free’s elevated revenue is the category’s hefty price per pound – $3.01, on average; that is 26% higher than the overall pet food figure of $2.39 per pound.
“Grain-free has the potential to outgrow the natural category, because it also reaches into non-natural food and treats,” said Maria Lange, business group director of GfK’s POS Tracking (Pet) team. “Without grain-free, the natural category would be declining in growth – and we think grain-free’s potential is far from spent. Cat SKUs, in particular, represent an untapped opportunity for new grain-free sales gains.”
GfK’s POS pet panel in the US helps both retailers and manufacturers make smarter decisions. Pet specialty stores can gain free insights into the marketplace simply by sharing their sales data with GfK; and manufacturers can obtain unmatched reports on nationwide trends, as well as the performance of their own products and of competitors.

Natural pet products to exceed US$7 billion in 2014

Natural pet products are expected to exceed US$7 billion in 2014, and premiumization has been a primary driving force behind it, according to a Packaged Facts report.
The report, "Natural, Organic, and Eco-friendly Pet Products in the US, 5th Edition," says that natural petfood will account for US$6.6 billion in sales by the end of 2014, and natural pet care products will make up the remainder. Premium foods are doing better right now than other petfood segments, boosting the natural products category. Margins on superpremium petfoods can reach 40%, compared with 30% for premium brands and 20% or less for standard brands. As more of these higher-end foods take on the "natural" claim, sales will continue to rise for that segment, according to Packaged Facts.
On the other side of the coin, offering just a natural claim isn't enough for consumers anymore, and consumers are willing to spend more for additional health and wellness benefits. According to Packaged Facts’ April/May 2014 survey results, 64% of pet owners believe that high-quality petfoods are effective for preventive health care, and 68% are willing to spend extra money to ensure the wellness of their pets. Sixty-two percent of pet owners check product labels on the petfoods they buy, and 42% are concerned about their pet having food intolerances or allergies, according to the survey.

Nature's Variety enters joint venture with Agrolimen

St. Louis-based independent natural petfood company Nature's Variety and Agrolimen have entered into a joint venture, with Agrolimen making an investment in the company. Nature's Variety will continue to operate as an independent company through a joint venture between its current shareholders, including Catterton, a consumer-focused private equity firm, and Agrolimen.

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"Our purpose as a company is to empower people to transform the lives of pets," said Reed Howlett, CEO of Nature's Variety. "We've built a team of passionate pet champions who believe in this purpose and bring it to life through not only our nutritious foods, but also by volunteering for and aiding rescue groups in their communities.
"In Agrolimen, we've found a well-aligned partner who will enable us to further accelerate our growth through marketing and innovation investments," said Howlett. "We are confident that Agrolimen will help expand our role as the leader of the raw petfood category and support our commitment to pet parents in an even greater way moving forward."
With this joint venture, Agrolimen is moving forward within its strategic plan of international growth of its core businesses, according to the company. "We believe we have found the ideal partner in Nature's Variety," said Joan Cornudella, CEO of Agrolimen. "The company has a unique value proposition and position in the market, the team has a proven track record in partnering with pet specialty retailers and distributors to bring innovative products to market, and a clear vision to drive continued growth."
Nature's Variety will continue to be headquartered in St. Louis with operations in Lincoln, Nebraska, and will keep operating as an independent company. Nature's Variety produces natural petfood through two brands—Instinct, a raw petfood line, and Prairie, a balanced holistic line of food.

PetSmart expands natural petfood options with Nature's Variety

Nature's Variety, an independent natural pet food company, and PetSmart have announced that the company's two petfood brands will begin selling at the specialty pet retailer.

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"Pet parents are seeking natural diets that give their pets the nutrition nature intended," said Matt McAdam, PetSmart's executive vice president of merchandising and real estate. "Nature's Variety strengthens our natural selection and gives pet parents the variety of wholesome foods they desire. PetSmart is committed to meeting the evolving needs and preferences of our pet parents who deeply care about the health and well-being of their pets."
Nature's Variety produces petfood through two brands—Instinct, a raw petfood brand; and Prairie, a balanced holistic line of food. Instinct dog and cat foods include grain-free and gluten-free formulas, and come in a variety of forms, including kibble, can, raw frozen, freeze dried raw and treats. Prairie dog foods are available in kibble, cans and treats in an assortment of proteins.
PetSmart began selling both lines on June 9, 2014, in the US and began selling both brands in Canada in late May. In addition, PetSmart will carry Instinct Raw frozen diets in more than 575 stores throughout the US and Canada.
"Nature's Variety is committed to providing pet parents with superior quality petfood and giving them more options to incorporate raw into their pet's diet," said Reed Howlett, CEO of Nature's Variety. "We are extremely proud of this partnership with PetSmart. By expanding our distribution we are able to give more households access to the natural, holistic diets they are seeking for their pets."

'I and love and you' petfood brand plans fast industry expansion

Boulder, Colorado-based investment firm Revelry Brands acquired a stake in Only Natural Pet Store LLC, and that partnership led to the desire to create a superpremium petfood brand. That brand is "I and love and you," a manufacturer of a variety of pet products designed to be wholesome and healthful for cats and dogs.

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The brand did well initially, gaining ground on Whole Foods shelves and tripling its sales from 2012 to 2013, according to the companies. Now, growth capital investment from Chicago-based Winona Capital Management and Revelry will allow "I and love and you" to build its executive team, increase product development efforts, expand to a new facility and prepare for a national launch with the next (as yet unnamed) retailer.
The launch may triple or quadruple "I and love and you's" distribution, which currently sits at 1,200 stores and retailers. The 65 products under the brand range from kibble and treats to supplements and medications. The idea, said Steve Ball, CEO of "I and love and you," was to create a brand that would cover all elements of pet care and products that would be on the leading edge of trends such as dehydrated raw food.
Winona said that it expects the trend of buying natural food for pets to continue "as increases in pet ownership and disposable income as well as the humanization of pets drive demand for premium pet products and services." Jason Sowers, a Winona principal, said it is a great opportunity to invest in a company that is "a great leader, an excellent brand with innovative products."

Merrick Pet Care launches dog food advertising campaign

Natural petfood manufacturer Merrick Pet Care has launched its “Best Dog Ever Deserves the Best Food Ever” advertising campaign with Austin, Texas-based agency McGarrah Jessee. The new campaign for the company’s all-natural Merrick brand dog food marks the most substantial marketing investment in its 25+ year history and comes at a time when the brand is experiencing double-digit growth in the expanding natural, premium petfood category, according to the company.

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“Our new campaign is based on the guiding insight that most pet parents truly believe their dog is the best dog ever, and to honor that bond they seek the very best for their dog when it comes to choosing a food,” said Mark Sapir, vice president of marketing for Merrick Pet Care. “This emotional insight wrapped around the benefits of our food—high quality, nutrition and great taste—guided the development of the campaign as we celebrate the special relationship between pet parent and pet shown through shared joy at mealtime.”
As pet parents continue to research petfood brands online, a major component of the campaign will target current and potential consumers via search, display and remarketing. In addition, there will be a heavy social media component to reach new and current pet parents, as research demonstrates pet parents are particularly active across a number of social platforms and receptive to brand messages there. “The natural petfood category has become very crowded, and a highly targeted digital campaign is the best way to break through to the right consumers and reach them via multi-media channels that bring our story to life in the most compelling ways,” said Sapir.
Finally, the company is updating the Merrick website with a dynamic comparison tool for pet parents to compare their dog food brands to Merrick, and offering a money-back guarantee to reinforce that pet parents will find Merrick to be “the best food ever, for the best dog ever.”

DOG for DOG wins 'Best in Show' at Global Pet Expo 2014

DOG for DOG received the 2014 Global Pet Expo's top award, "Best in Show," in Global's New Product Showcase for dogs. The company celebrated the launch of its new DOGSFOOD all-natural premium kibble at the show.

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Presented by The American Pet Products Association (APPA) and the Pet Industry Distributors Association (PIDA), this is the first time the honor has been given to a dog food product in more than five years. Additionally, DOG for DOG donated its display, an eight-foot wall built out of bags of DOGSFOOD totaling 2,380 pounds of dog food, to eight local Florida dog charities. "Winning 'Best Product' at the Global Pet Expo further validates the fact that there is a strong need to help dogs in need and that our customers want to be a part of the solution," said Rocky Kanaka, president of DOG for DOG. "Our supporters can feel great when they purchase DOGSFOOD  because they know that they are providing premium, healthy food for their pets, while they are also helping feed dogs that are in shelters or part of rescue groups." 
The 2014 expo saw 2,896 booths, more than 6,000 buyers and 3,000 new products.

Natures Menu marks processing 1 million orders for petfood

Petfood maker Natures Menu recently achieved a milestone in the company's history with the processing of 1 million orders.
The natural petfood manufacturer began as a small family business in 1981 that produced food for local dog kennels, but it has grown to do business throughout Europe.
Craig Taylor, an original family member who has been with the company since it started, said: "I am delighted that Natures Menu has reached such a landmark and am proud to still be serving the UK's finest pet stores after 33 years."
According to the one millionth customer, Brenda Holmes, who runs Dis-Cover Pets Corner pet store: "There is so much real meat in the Natures Menu products - we are always telling customers that's what makes a pet so healthy. The treats are the only thing that brings my cats into the house when I call them.''

New natural petfood line infused with extra virgin olive oil

Pyramid Pet Products has a new line of petfood that not only includes natural protein sources with added super foods, such as blueberries, kelp, sweet potatoes and probiotics, but is also infused with extra virgin olive oil.
The new brand, Tuscan Natural Pet Food Products, includes nearly a standard, full-size bottle of olive oil in a 30-pound bag, or the equivalent of a tablespoon per serving. 
Olive oil, Pyramid says, has multiple health benefits, including lowering cholesterol, improving ability to digest proteins, fighting diabetes and aiding in prevention of bone density loss.
"The idea for Tuscan Natural Pet Food Products was born out of our appreciation for olive oil and its many health benefits, so we asked ourselves why we shouldn't include it in our pet's diets as well," said Matt Boyer, president of Pyramid Pet Products. "We began researching why other petfoods don't use olive oil and found they were using cheaper polyunsaturated fats. Generally speaking, we saw companies using inferior ingredients, putting profits over the health of pets and felt that we should formulate a healthy, nutritious diet that would include only the finest ingredients."
Three varieties of the food are offered: Simply Pure, a limited ingredient diet for dogs; Harvest, with multiple protein sources and added "super foods"; and Carne, grain-free dog and cat food. 

The Honest Kitchen launches petfood testimonial sharing platform online

The Honest Kitchen, an all-natural petfood company, launched a new website, which includes the new social media sharing platform, True Stories.
The True Stories platform allows consumers to make their own cats and dogs into "Official Poster Pets" for the company. True Stories product testimonials allow real customers to be spokespeople for The Honest Kitchen by providing feedback on the beneficial effects of the food on their pets’ ailments, such as skin and coat disorders, digestive upset, ear infections and urinary tract problems. 
Customers can upload their product success stories and pet photos on the site, and the True Stories platform customizes customers’ pet photos into Polaroid-style portraits on the site with the pet’s name and campaign logo. Customers can then share their Trues Story across their own social media networks.
In the coming months, the Official Poster Pets’ images and stories will be made into full-size physical posters, signage, magazine advertisements and promotional postcards for retailers. 

Hill’s launches new Ideal Balance natural petfood brand

Hill’s Pet Nutrition unveiled its new Hill’s Ideal Balance line of dog and cat food. The new petfood brand, which features natural ingredients, is the first new petfood brand from Hill’s since the launch of Science Diet in 1968.
The new Hill's Ideal Balance dog and cat food formulas feature:
• Fresh chicken or natural salmon as the first ingredient
• Brown rice to support healthy digestion
• Fruits and vegetables to support a healthy immune system
• No corn, wheat or soy
• Grain-free options for dogs and cats
• Dry foods made in Hill’s USA facilities
• 100 percent balanced nutrition, guaranteed or your money back
The new Ideal Balance line includes varieties developed for lifestage, size and grain-free. In addition to the dry foods, Hill’s Ideal Balance line includes 12 wet petfood varieties: six for dogs and six for cats. Protein sources such as venison, trout and salmon are offered. The new Ideal Balance petfood line is available at pet retailers and veterinarians. 

Spring Naturals pet food brand launches new blog

Spring Naturals brand of dog dinners and treats has expanded its website with the launch of a new blog, Spring Dishes.
The blog was launched to promote good nutrition and wellness for pets and animal advocacy. For pet retailers, the blog provides insights into what is important to natural pet food shoppers. It also features content from Spring Naturals' nutritionists and pet food producers as well as updates on the company's animal advocacy efforts, like the "Spring Into Action" pet rescue program.
For more information on Spring Naturals, visit www.petfoodindustry.com/47684.html.

Petfood manufacturer Natural Balance sponsors Rose Bowl parade float

Pet food manufacturer Natural Balance sponsored a float in the 2013 Rose Bowl parade honoring military working dogs.
The Rose Bowl parade, held in Pasadena, California, USA, featured the pet food maker's "Canines with Courage" float, on which four handlers and their dogs rode, representing the US Air Force, Army and Marines. The float featured a floral replica of the bronze and granite US Military Working Dog Teams National Monument in San Antonio, Texas, USA.

Global Pet Food Stores to expand into western Canada

Global Pet Food Stores Inc. is reportedly planning to expand its natural and organic pet food stores into the western Canadian market.
The company, which currently operates two stores in the US and 155 stores in Canada, recently opened its latest store in Calgary, Canada. President Jim Walker said the region could also see another four to six stores open within the next 18 months. “Western Canada has been the fastest growing portion (of the chain’s expansion) over the course of the last probably 18 months,” said Walker.
Jay de Nance and Michael Kehoe, of Fairfield Commercial Real Estate Inc., are currently looking for space for the company’s expansion.

Natural pet food, pet products market to grow 23 percent in 2013

The US market for natural pet products is projected to grow 32 percent in 2013 as retailers devote more shelf space to the expanded natural pet food and pet care product offerings by manufacturers, according to Packaged Facts.
The report, "Natural, Organic and Eco-friendly Pet Products in the US," estimates combined sales of natural pet foods and natural pet care products will grow by 10 percent to 15 percent over the period from 2014-17. Sales are projected to reach US$9.4 billion by 2017, up from an estimated US$4.1 billion in 2012.
Currently, independent pet retailers comprise 72 percent of the natural market and about 75 percent of natural pet food will be sold through the specialty channel. But, according to the report's author, David Lummis, this is expected to change as mass retailers offer more lower-priced natural foods, such as the 2011 launch of Nestlé Purina's Purina One Beyond and the 2012 launch of Pure Balance from Walmart. He said the market for natural pet products is expected to grow by several hundred million dollars alone because Hill's Pet Nutrition announced it will reformulate all its Science Diet pet foods into natural recipes.
“As Science Diet converts to natural and the natural pet food competition heats up even more, it’s also increasingly likely that one of the leading natural brands in the pet specialty channel will make the leap into mass, further blurring the already somewhat tenuous distinction between the natural products sold in the two channels,” said Lummis.
According to Lummis, The Nutro Co. and Blue Buffalo capture a combined 40 percent of sales in the natural petfood market. Market shares of 5 percent to 10 percent are held by four companies: WellPet, Natural Balance Pet Foods Inc., Merrick Pet Care Inc. and Natura Pet Products. The report found that smaller companies, such as Halo, Purely for Pets and Champion Pet foods account for the remaining shares of natural pet food sales. 

New natural pet ood store opens in Illinois

Labrador Franchises Inc., operator of the Pet Depot Franchise, opened its 30th franchise location in Elk Grove Village, Illinois, USA: Graham’s Pet Depot.
Owned and operated by Valerie Graham and her brother David Graham, the store provides customers with 5,500 square feet of natural petfood and supplies for all companion animals, along with a professional pet grooming salon. The store and its eight employees also offer pet adoptions, training and pet health care advice.
Graham's Pet Depot is the first in the franchise to be launched as a new Pet Depot Natural Pet Food Headquarters concept store, stocked with more than 25 brands of natural pet food, which aims to give consumers a "lifestyle" shopping experience they would feel in shopping for their own food.

Spring Naturals dog food brand wins Editors' Choice award

Spring Naturals won the Editor's Choice award for its Canned Dinners for Dogs.

Spring Naturals brand of dog dinners and treats won the Editors’ Choice award from Pet Product News International for its Canned Dinners for Dogs.
More than 400 products were submitted for judging in the 2012 competition.
“Speaking for the entire Spring Naturals team, we’re thrilled to receive this award,” said Rob Cadenhead, vice president of marketing and sales for Spring Naturals. “It’s a good feeling to know that the pet industry recognizes our commitment to deliver canine nutrition without compromise.” 

Dr. Tim's pet food brand to launch new pet food packaging

Dr. Tim's Pet Food Company, a maker of premium, all-natural pet food products, is redesigning its packaging and has also made its lines available through two new distribution channels.


Dr. Tim's new petfood packaging will be launched in August.

The company's new pet food bag designs are set to come out in August. Dr. Tim's pet food is also now available through Zeigler's Distribution of Pennsylvania, USA, and online at www.Petflow.com.

Evanger's calls for photo entries in pets calendar contest

Evanger’s Dog & Cat Food Company, a natural pet food manufacturer, is looking for photo entries to its nationwide pets calendar contest.
Each winning photo will be selected as a Cover Pet, special "Holiday Feature" Pet, and/or a "Pet of the Month." Calendar themes for 2013 are: dog and cat sport exhibitors, service dogs, rescued pets, most creative pet and active pet.
Winners will receive a prize package of Evanger's petfood and treats and a free calendar. All entrants will receive a voucher for US$3.00 off any Evanger's dry pet food purchase and one free can with purchase, redeemable at any Evanger's retailer. More details on the contest and how to enter can be found on Evanger's website.

Nutro offers grants to enhance local dog parks

The Nutro Company, a manufacturer of natural pet food products, is teaming up with country singer Sara Evans to encourage dog owners nationwide to apply for grant support to help enhance their local dog parks during the third annual ROOM TO RUN dog park appreciation project. 
ROOM TO RUN, now in its third year, is a community program designed to support public, nonprofit dog parks and off-leash areas and encourage greater community engagement. Grant application forms are available on the ROOM TO RUN grant website with a September 31 deadline to apply. Grants of US$2,000 will be awarded on a rolling basis through October to 30 dog parks across the US to help fund enhancement efforts in public, nonprofit dog parks.
Dog park enhancements may include:
•General repairs and maintenance (e.g., painting benches, repairing fences)
•Installation of new agility equipment
•Landscaping
•Updates to water system
•Creation of a poop bag center
The Nutro Company's ROOM TO RUN associate board will review the grant applications and select parks that exhibit the greatest need, as well as meet other criteria listed on the project's website. 
"As a proud dog owner, I'm excited to help The Nutro Company kick off the third annual event and to help spread the word to dog lovers around the country," said Sara Evans. "Our dog Roman is like a member of our family, and I know many people feel the same way about their own dogs. I support the ROOM TO RUN™ effort to give dogs and their owners an enhanced place to play and bond."