Global Pet Expo Takeaways Premium Foods

Premium food manufacturers have been well aware that today’s pet parents are looking for reputable companies to support, spurring them to put much emphasis on transparency of ingredient sourcing as well as efforts to promote sustainability in their operations. This year’s Global Pet Expo reinforced that notion along with the fact that solutions-based items are in high demand. Companies had their hands full receiving partners and potential customers in their respective booths, showcasing their latest product innovations that meet those consumer desires for premium products that also feature functional ingredients. And perhaps more importantly, premium foods suppliers took the opportunity to reassure retailers that they will be reliable partners for them as pet stores are still wrestling with the fallout from inflation and ongoing supply hiccups.

Canine Caviar’s East Regional Sales Manager Scott Goriscak said that was one of his company’s goals for this year’s show. “We would like them [visitors] to see a company that is fully prepared for the year ahead,” he said before the show. “Canine Caviar will introduce them to our new soft treats and cat food line Feline Caviar (available in four protein varieties: venison, buffalo, chicken and herring). We are always looking to make new friends and grow our current relationships. Canine Caviar would also like to communicate the advantages of partnering with us not for only the benefits of feeding our products but how we support our retail family members. We as a company have not experienced supply chain shortages like many manufacturers during 2022.”

Touching in after the show, Goriscak noted the huge turnout along with the fact that the company’s new canned beaver canine food drew attention as “fresh and new.”

“The customers were present all day,” he said. “At times it was standing room only in our booth with every Canine Caviar team member engaged with clients. We were still doing business with retailers even as they were turning off the lights to signal the show was closing. What we took away was many new clients, including three new countries, and many more prospects requesting follow-ups. Just with this we will be quite busy for the remainder of 2023. Jeff Baker, our founder, has not stopped in his future projects. He has developed some exciting new products that will launch later this year.”

SquarePet approached this year’s show with the goal of launching several new products as well. Partner, CSO and CMO Tyler Atkins said prior to the show, “We are still here, thriving and advancing the industry forward. SquarePet continues to provide unique high-quality products that continue to push the industry forward utilizing high-quality ingredients in unique solutions-based formulations. I want retailers to see and get excited about the launch of our solutions-based VFS canned wet food and the launch of our VFS PowerHound and PowerCat diets. The launch of our solutions-based VFS canned wet food diets mimic our highly successful dry product lineup of specialized formulas which feature hydrolyzed protein, guaranteed low fat levels, gentle formula for ideal digestion and guaranteed low phosphorus for dogs with special needs.”

Atkins reported an “extremely positive” reception to the new products. “Now we just have to make sure we get them to market,” he said. “So, we have basically our VFS canned products and then we have also PowerHound and PowerCat SKUs that’ll be coming to the market. Our hope is to have both of those hit the marketplace in June. We already have presales for all of them, and now we need to meet the demand.”

SquarePet was so swamped with meetings that Atkins lamented he didn’t have the opportunity to explore the show more fully. “The one thing that I did notice was the international contingent was back in full effect, from previous shows at least compared to pre-Covid shows. That was the one takeaway that I would have,” he said.

Atkins is optimistic the momentum built at Global will continue. “Hopefully some of the meetings that we have and some of the follow up that we do will lead to some better partnerships going forward in retail and distribution, and there will be some exciting announcements to come in the future.”

Robert Downey, President and CEO of Annamaet Petfoods Inc., said the company is going to build on the networking it was able to conduct at Global to carry the business forward through the year. “It truly was a great event, I don’t think the overall footprint was as big as before the pandemic, but we had steady traffic all three days,” he said. “Over the last few years, we have found it helpful to set a meeting schedule each day with 30-minute appointments, which were pretty much filled up this year. We certainly met our goals of attracting new retailers and distributors into our booth. We left Global with new customers as well as new friendships. I always say, business is still all about one-onone relationships.”

Annamaet showcased several new innovations for the active canine this year. “Dog sports are rapidly growing worldwide and Annamaet has always been a leader in providing quality supplements for the active canine, given our background,” Downey said before the show. “We are proud to introduce Annamaet Recovery Chews, a canine post-exercise treat. These are the soft chew version of our Glycocharge supplement, proven to be the gold standard for post exercise glycogen replenishment since 1997. Annamaet Recovery Chews have been in development for more than six years and will be effective in the many canine sports and with a variety of working dogs but also for the pet parent that wants to give their dog a healthy treat after a walk or a run.”

Though this is a lot of information to impart, Downey reassured prospective partners that if they hadn’t been able to connect at Global Pet Expo, the company is still ready to support them. “We would like anyone who visits the Annamaet booth to leave with a feeling of trust,” he said. “We really stand by our ability to remain transparent and would like everyone to know that they can reach out to us anytime and get an honest and accurate response. With two nutritionists on staff, one should also know we have a great background in r Cont'd on Pg. 45