Global Pet Expo Takeaways:

novative pet products, including our flagship product, the Neater Feeder,” said VP of Marketing Jackie Becattini. “We want retailers to see the innovation Neater Pets brings to the table year after year. From the first ever mess-proof feeder, the Neater Feeder, to Neater Scooper, a scoop-to-bag cat litter system, to our newest product line, the FurDozer X3 and X6 pet hair removers, we pride ourselves in creating products that make life with pets easier and cleaner. Neater Pets strives to make as many products in the USA as possible, eliminating many supply chain issues other manufacturers faced during the pandemic.”

Caitec would like for attendees to take notice that the company is continuing with its tradition of innovation.

“We not only product innovation in products, but also in branding, such as Nala cat toy line,” said Caitec President Terry Gao. “We are here for your customers as we have been for last 32 years despite the backdrop of macro economy.”

“Being 100 percent all-natural, Nature’s Logic offers a unique approach to nutrition which allows consumers and retailers to access dog and cat kibble, wet food and dog treats that are made with whole foods and no synthetic ingredients,” said Greg Cyr, CEO of Mid America Pet Food. “We are one of only a few brands offering a complete line of pet products that are committed to this approach to nutrition. Expanding on that offering, Global was an exciting opportunity for us to share our new treats, Biscuits with Benefits, with retailers. Unveiling this new product to our retail partners in-person was impactful as we could physically show them these three new treats and educate them on their benefits. Our team enjoys spending time with our retailers to help educate them on our nutrition and share insight into how we’ll be supporting the brand in new ways this year, designed to help drive consumer interest which we hope will increase store traffic for our partners. For those unable to stop by our booth, please reach out to your local sales rep to learn more about our new treats, or to get information on oth- er questions you might have.”

“Noba Animal Co. is a constantly evolving company in the pet industry, mainly in the pet hygiene and well-being category,” said Business Development Manager Roxane Popoviciu. “Focusing on sustainable and local production attracted this year’s attendees’ eyes. We have endless ideas and production possibilities to enhance the unique relationship between our customers and their pets. This year, Noba Animal Co. launched lots of new products: litter, litter management systems, catnip as well as cats and dogs furniture. Our goal is to fulfill our customer’s needs and pets’ comfort in a practical and luxurious, yet affordable way. We offer high-end products made locally without compromises. Our goal is that every pet parent can enjoy having a Noba product in their home as we are convinced their pets’ will love them!”

“Green Juju has evolved from a whole food pet supplement company to a pet food company!” said Owner and Founder Kelley Marian. “On the first day of Global, we announced the release of our new limited-ingredient Freeze-Dried Raw Diets. Our recipes are offered in four proteins — grass-fed beef, grassfed bison, pasture-raised pork and humanely raised rabbit with duck liver. Our recipes are organ meat based with an organic dark leafy green, organic kelp and that’s it! They are the perfect base because pet parents can then add our whole food supplements like our frozen blends, bone broth, raw goat’s milk or fermented pastes. All of those items can be incorporated into any diet to provide a nutritional boost. The other thing that we really tried to communicate at Global is that we sourced extremely high-quality proteins and high organ meat content for our food. That means we do not need to use synthetic vitamins or fish oil.”

“Our entire team at A&E would like to thank all those who took the time to meet us at the Global 2023,” said Jamie Cecilia, Chief Operating Officer for A&E Cage Company. “We were overjoyed to have the opportunity to connect with such wonderful people in our industry. We’re beyond proud to announce our New Product Showcases won Best in Show—First Place—in both the Bird and Small Animal product categories – two years in a row! We love putting in the hard work and thrive on paying close attention to details along with following trends to help ensure your confidence in our ability to remain the leaders within our categories. Again, to everyone who was able to stop at our booth, we hope that you found our products innovative, and we appreciated the opportunity to discuss potential collaborations and partnerships with you.”

MidWest Homes for Pets had three main goals for Global.

“First, to communicate what we are doing to increase support of brick and mortar pet specialty stores,” said Tara Whitehead, Director of Marketing & Communications. “This includes a specific strategy which has evolved to offer 55 SKUs that are exclusive to the pet specialty channel. We have also developed store fixtures and displays to help retailers merchandise our products in a more effective and appealing way, which has proven to increase sales for our dealer partner as well. Second, we introduced new products to the market, and we shared how we continue to develop and introduce innovative and creative new products that fill a need in our industry. Finally, we continued to share with our customers the working relationship between MidWest, Ferplast, and Hydor, as MidWest is now the exclusive representation and distribution for all Ferplast and Hydor products in North America. This has become a great partnership that continues to grow with new products and sales.”

Show Takeaways for Exhibitors

“Austin and Kat’s deep understanding of the CBD space and commitment to quality makes our future incredibly bright,” Donatello said. “We have distinguished ourselves through our unwavering dedication to ingredient sourcing, innovation, and leadership in the industry. As we continue to grow, we remain focused on supplements, specifically CBD and CBDA and our ability to do it right. Unlike other brands that may try to launch CBD products among traditional foods and supplements, we know CBD better than anyone because r Cont'd on Pg. 21 r From Pg. 20 we have been in the space since 2014 and that’s all we do. Our proprietary facility, The Makery, is a testament to our unique expertise in CBD manufacturing, enabling us to control the entire production process and maintain an unparalleled level of quality. With our proven success and ongoing commitment to excellence, Austin and Kat is poised to become the go-to brand for those seeking the best in CBD products.”

One takeaway from the show that stood out to Caru Pet Food was the maturation and evolution of the foods and treats categories.

“We were once again impressed with the premiumization of pet foods and treats,” Pettyan said. “Indeed, our dogs and cats are being treated like the furry family members that they are. We will use these trends in the marketplace when considering new additions to our product line. After all, as our logo says, we want all pets to be ‘nourished with love.’ We believe we are on the right track and will continue to develop products for dogs and cats with this in mind.”

“We’re always so pleased with the positive energy attendees bring to Global,” Palm with Champion Petfoods said. “Our goal is to engage with retail, distribution and industry partners to share new product innovation, build relationships and identify opportunities. We received lots of positive feedback from attendees regarding our new booth design and excitement for new innovation we shared on-site. We look forward to building on that momentum.”

“The Elanco team enjoyed being out post-pandemic and reestablishing in-person connectivity with our industry friends and customers,” Cornish said. “Our team walked away with multiple additions to our business plans for expanded growth. Elanco had a great opportunity to preview new Seresto, Advantage and Advantix digital media content with customers and gained helpful feedback.”

Franpos collected feedback from a broad swath of attendees. The company plans to apply comments and observations from retailers to address blind spots and determine the trajectory of the company’s next steps.