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Freshpet

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Freshpet
Company typeCorporation
IndustryPet Food
Founded(2005)
HeadquartersSecaucus, New Jersey 07096-2157, United States
ProductsRefrigerated Pet Food
Websitewww.freshpet.com

Freshpet, located in Secaucus, New Jersey, is the only [1] United States manufacturer and marketer of fresh, refrigerated pet food. The process factory is located in Quakertown, Pennsylvania, which originally produced meatballs and burger patties. In 2006, Freshpet began test marketing in Canada and San Francisco, and entered the market in 2007. Products are now available across the United States.

Currently, Bil-Jac and Freshpet account for nearly the entire fresh category.[1] Bil-Jac has been marketing their fresh, vacuum-dried dog food for more than 60 years and is considered a veteran in the category. However, Packaged Facts claims Freshpet, who entered the market in 2007, is the driving force behind the category's growth. Information Resources, Inc. Tracking of US sales indicated the fresh pet food category actually declined between 2003 and 2006 until 2007, when it suddenly increased by 119%. The fresh pet food category is expected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate of 23% for the next five years, reaching sales of $473.4 million by 2012.[1]

Current products

Freshpet makes a wide variety of fresh, refrigerated dog and cat foods and dog treats under the following brands: Freshpet Select, Dog Joy, Deli Fresh, Vital, and Dognation. All Freshpet foods follow the same basic tenets:

  • Made with fresh, high quality poultry, meats or fish
  • Minimally processed and refrigerated for freshness
  • All natural with no preservatives
Freshpet Brands


Freshpet Select foods and Dog Joy treats are sold at grocery and mass merchandise retailers. Vital foods, Deli Fresh foods, and Dognation treats are sold at pet specialty retailers.

Refrigeration

Freshpet foods must be kept refrigerated at all times. Freshpet foods are marked by the "Freshest if sold by" date. Once opened, they must be used within 2 to 10 days depending on the product type.

Minimal processing

Dry and canned foods last longer than fresh because of the intense processing they go through, ingredients are often heat processed multiple times to render the product commercially sterile. Freshpet foods undergo minimal processing to create a safe and healthy food for pets. Similar to less processed foods like milk, natural cooked meats and yogurt they have a shorter shelf life.


Freshpet uses ingredients that are both fresh and natural in their foods. The main ingredients are high quality fresh meats & vegetables because they are naturally rich in amino acids & nutrients. In dry kibble, grains, potato and rendered meat and poultry meals, are the main ingredient that are then extruded under high pressure and heat and then dried. Canned pet foods tend to have higher levels of meat, but the canning process, high temperature and pressure for extended periods of time, destroys much of amino acids & nutrients once available in the meat.

Media exposure

In the 2007 pet food recalls, being one of the few pet food companies not affected, Freshpet capitalized on the opportunity and had record high sales. Newsweek released an article exploring the success of Freshpet.[2]

During 2010, frozen/refrigerated dog food made an impressive 10% jump in retail sales, while frozen/refrigerated sales on the cat food side rose from virtually nothing in 2009 to US$600,000 in 2010. Although the fresh/refrigerated, raw/frozen and dehydrated petfood segment remains miniscule and slightly segmented within the scheme of the overall petfood market—at under 1% of sales—Packaged Facts expects sales in this segment to grow by 25% on a compound annual basis through 2015.[3]

Articles

References

  1. ^ a b c "MediaPost Publications, "Packaged Facts"".
  2. ^ http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2007/05/07/capitalizing-on-pet-food-panic.html | title = Newsweek, "Capitalizing on Pet-Food Panic"
  3. ^ "Petfood Industry Publications, "Bright future for refrigerated, frozen and raw petfood"".
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