Wellness Pet Company
 | |
| Company type | Privately held subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Pet food |
| Predecessor | WellPet, Old Mother Hubbard, Eagle Pack Pet Foods, Inc. |
| Founded | 1926 (Old Mother Hubbard) 1970 (Eagle Pack Pet Foods) 1997 (Wellness Pet Food) 2008 (WellPet LLC) 2022 (Wellness Pet Company) |
| Headquarters | , |
| Products | Natural dog & cat food, treats, and dental chews |
Number of employees | 400+ |
| Parent | Clearlake |
| Website | http://www.wellnesspet.com |
Wellness Pet Company is a pet food company that consists of Wellness Natural Pet Food, Old Mother Hubbard by Wellness, Whimzees by Wellness, Sojos, Eagle Pack and Holistic Select purchased by Clearlake Capital Group. Wellness Pet Company is headquartered outside of Boston, in Tewksbury, Massachusetts, as well as in Boston proper.
History
Old Mother Hubbard
Old Mother Hubbard was founded in 1926, as an offshoot of the A. Hubbard and Sons Bakery in Gloucester, Massachusetts, making small dog biscuits. In 1961, the company was purchased by Jim Scott, a professional in animal nutrition, and moved to Lowell, Massachusetts. In the 1990s, Jim Scott Jr., then CEO of the company, worked with a team of animal nutrition experts to develop the Wellness brand dog and cat foods, which went on the market in 1999 and 2000, respectively. Old Mother Hubbard became a member of the WellPet family of brands in 2009. WellPet was purchased by Clearlake Capital Group L.P. in November 2020, and later renamed the Wellness Pet Company.[1] A year later, the company opened new offices in Boston, MA.[2] The company also continues to make Old Mother Hubbard branded products, including dog biscuits[3] and other treats.[4]
Wellness Pet Food
Wellness Pet Food was founded in 1997.[5][citation needed] Wellness recipes for dogs were introduced in 1997 and Wellness cat recipes were added to the line in 2000.[6][citation needed] By 2004, Wellness Pet Food became the leading natural pet food in independent pet specialty retailers.[citation needed] In 2022 the company began producing Good Dog by Wellness, a dog treat for puppies.[7]
Eagle Pack
Eagle Pack started in 1970, producing their Hy-Ration brand dog food. In 2000, the Eagle Pack Holistic Select line was launched.[8] Eagle Pack has sponsored “The Last Grace Race on Earth”, an Iditarod Trail event.[9] All Eagle Pack recipes are made in the United States and their own manufacturing facility.[10]
WellPet
In October 2007 Eagle Pack was sold to Berwind Corporation for an undisclosed amount. In August 2008 Wellness/Old Mother Hubbard was sold to Berwind [11] for $400 Million, generating a 7x profit on Catterton's initial investment.[12] Between 2008 and 2009, Eagle and OMH were merged into a single entity, Wellpet LLC.[13][14]
Sojo's
In January 2016, Wellness Pet Company acquired Sojo's for an undisclosed amount.[15][16]
Whimzees
In 2017 the company acquired Whimzees (stylized as “WHIMZEES”), a producer of dog chews.[17] Products from Whimzees have included variety packs,[18] daily use packs,[19] brushzees (a dental health pack),[20] and Stix (a chewable dental health treat).[21]
Leadership
In 2013, the company named Camelle Kent-Rizkalla as its CEO. She was replaced in 2021 by Reed Howlett.[22]
Manufacturing
The company maintains the Farm Fresh Farm Kitchen manufacturing facility in Minnesota[23] and a manufacturing plant in Indiana. The Indiana facility received a AA grade certification from the British Retail Consortium in late 2021, and the Minnesota facility received an A grade earlier in 2021.[24] Its Whimzees brand is produced at its manufacturing campus in Veendam, The Netherlands,[25] which also received a AA rating.[25] In recent years, the company has invested in increasing its sustainability in both its products and packaging.[1]
References
- ^ a b "New name, same standards for WellPet in 2022". www.petfoodprocessing.net.
- ^ "WellPet announces name change". www.petfoodindustry.com.
- ^ "Old Mother Hubbard adds new crunchy, chewy treats". www.petfoodprocessing.net.
- ^ "11 Dog Treats Your Pup Will Snarf Right Up". SELF. February 14, 2022.
- ^ "Make Every Mealtime Count™ - Wellness Pet Food". www.wellnesspetfood.com.
- ^ "Our History - WellPet". www.wellpet.com.
- ^ "Wellness Pet Company Launches New Dog Treat Brand - The Good Dog by Wellness brand serves up dog treats with all-natural ingredients". Pet Business. May 17, 2022.
- ^ "Discover Holistic Select". www.holisticselect.com.
- ^ "The SP Kennel Dog Log: Eagle Pack Pet Food and the Iditarod". spkenneldoglog.blogspot.com.
- ^ "Eagle Pack - Natural Pet Food - About Us". www.eaglepack.com.
- ^ "Berwind Corporation Mergers and Acquisitions - AlacraStore.com".
- ^ Systems, RRD Corporate Web. "RRD | Multichannel Marketing Communications". RRD | Multichannel Marketing Communications.
- ^ "An interview with Tim Callahan, CEO, WellPet".
- ^ "legacy of eagle dog food - GREATDANELADY.COM". www.greatdanelady.com.
- ^ "WellPet Welcomes Sojos Raw Pet Food and Treats to Family of Premium Pet Food Brands". www.wellpet.com.
- ^ WellPet to acquire Sojos
- ^ "WellPet acquires dental dog chews manufacturer WHIMZEES". www.petfoodindustry.com.
- ^ "WellPet introduces new age-specific and dental health products at SuperZoo". www.petfoodprocessing.net.
- ^ "Trends and Products: Pet Dental Care". Pet Age.
- ^ "Keep Your Pup's Teeth Strong With These Dental Dog Treats".
- ^ "Attention Dog Lovers: These Are the 10 Best Gifts to Give Your Pup This Valentine's Day". PureWow. February 1, 2022.
- ^ "WellPet names industry veteran Reed Howlett as CEO". www.petfoodindustry.com.
- ^ Staff, Pet Business. "WellPet Facility Earns A Grade Accreditation in Food Safety Audit". Pet Business.
{{cite web}}:|first=has generic name (help) - ^ "Indiana-based WellPet facility earns high food safety rating". www.petfoodprocessing.net.
- ^ a b "WHIMZEES expands dental dog chew manufacturing campus". www.petfoodprocessing.net.