Special Report Live Foods

As the live food category has been growing in recent years due to pet owners looking to branch out from the typical dog or cat companion, leading companies within the reptile and live foods categories have been able to lean on each other to ensure pets receive quality food and care. Companies within the live foods category are working year-round to ensure pet parents have access to everything their pets’ need.

will serve as an insect backstop for our entire industry. We will focus on research, husbandry, insect nutrition and ultra-efficient reproductive

“We believe that there is a constant need to deliver product to our customers and the end users in new, more convenient packaging that lends itself to higher quality feeders for longer periods of time. Quantities of insects per package are being evaluated as well to deliver exactly what our customers want.

Compared to the last two years, the supply chain for raw materials is dramatically better. Although the prices of materials are still inflated, immediate availability isn’t under the same stress it was. We are hoping that supply of raw materials continues to improve into the future.” —

Andy Pettit, Timberline Live Pet Foods

“At Armstrong’s Cricket Farm we plan to continue serving all of our customers to the best of our ability,” said Operations Manager Brandon Armstrong with Armstrong’s Cricket Farm. “We streamlined a lot of our logistic processes in 2022 and made necessary improvements where deficiencies were identified. While the growth we were seeing in the past couple of years has somewhat stalled throughout the industry some of the larger retail stores still have growth plans that Armstrong’s Cricket Farm looks forward to serving. As demand has leveled off the availability or feeder insects has become less of an issue. Dependability, quality and service are traits that will be more important moving forward.”

In a previous interview, Armstrong mentioned, “Armstrong’s Cricket Farm is uncharacteristically planning on offering a new product in the coming year; we are offering a different prepackaged service that we will be utilizing to capitalize on our partnership with some larger retail pet chains and their retail partners.”

Timberline Live Pet Foods told Pet Insight the company was not only looking forward to the new year but was also looking further ahead at what the year as a whole had to offer. “2023 will be a big year for Timberline with the opening of our Assurance Farm,” said Sales Manager Andy Pettit. “The Assurance Farm is our highly specialized farm that methods. Our process will generate cost effective solutions for those looking for live feeder insects both in the pet hobby and beyond. Phase 1 of our construction focuses on mealworms, superworms, and a new species to Timberline beginning the first quarter of 2023. Phase 2 will include crickets, calciworms, waxworms, hornworms and other species we may find to solve a need.”

“We believe that there is a constant need to deliver product to our customers and the end users in new, more convenient packaging that lends itself to higher quality feeders for longer periods of time. Quantities of insects per package are being evaluated as well to deliver exactly what our customers want,” Pettit said. “Compared to the last two years, the supply chain for raw materials is dramatically better. Although the prices of materials are still inflated, immediate availability isn’t under the same stress it was. We are hoping that supply of raw materials continues to improve into the future.”

While it is important to provide high-quality, natural food options for pets, companies within the reptile space partner with live food producers to enhance the quality of life of reptiles collectively. “When it comes to designing product, we always have the mom in mind. Reptiles are vastly becoming popular starter pets,” said Richard Koliner, SVP for Multipet International & Komodo Reptile. “In these cases, the mom (or dad) has to assist in feeding and maintaining the habitat. Many products are marketed for the reptile enthusiast. We are trying to take a simpler approach. One of our newest launches our, Coco bricks, does this by taking the guess work out of how much bedding will cover your terrarium. Each brick covers 10 gallons. If you have a 30-gallon tank you would need three bricks, things like that. We try to stay one step ahead by constantly designing new products. Natural looking environments are a big focus for the reptile parent. We will continue to design product that will make the terrarium have a more natural look and feel.”

When an animal such as a reptile is kept as a companion animal, it’s important that they feel comfortable and safe in their environment as if it were its natural habitat. Companies within the reptile and live foods category work together to provide those natural environment and food options that mimic and reflect what these animals would find in the wild. “Natural enclosures are very much on the rise right now,” Koliner said. “People want to keep their pet’s environment as close to their natural environment. Products that are unique while still looking natural and are made of high-quality materials seem to be thriving in the décor space for Reptile and Aquatics. As for food, supplements, and bedding in the Reptile and Aquatics category, easy-to-use, time saving products are trending. At Komodo, we are dedicated to providing reptile keepers with innovative and unique products that are useful, high-quality and very much on-trend. We have an abundance of natural looking décor, easy-to-use supplements for reptiles and feeders, and eco-friendly bedding products. Komodo listens to the retailer and consumer’s needs when we are developing products which has attributed greatly to our success.”