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Top 10 dog food manufacturers by market share
The members in the top 10 of dog food manufacturers do not change much over time. In fact, only mergers and acquisitions typically change who the main players are and what their exact position is in the top 10 in the dog food industry.
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Top 10 dog food companies 2011
Reminder
This is a list based on market share, which does not necessarily correlates with quality.
Just bear in mind that this is a list (based on 2010 data provided by Euromonitor International, compiled in 2011) of most successful dog food companies in the world in terms of market share, market growth and financial results. It's NOT a list of best dog food quality in descending order but of course such a list would be the single most important one for you and your furry friend.
Note that only the number 10 position differs from the last list.
#1 Marc Inc. (Mars Petcare)
Mars headquaters resides in Brussels, Belgium.
Mars shows no signs of slowing down and had more new product releases than the other petfood companies. It's been on a steady number 1 position for years.
Their top billion-dollar dog food brands are Cesar, Greenies, Nutro, Pedigree, Royal Canin:
- Pedigree®. In the US, more varieties of Pedigree® dog food exist than any other dog food brand.
- Royal Canin® In 1997 Royal Canin introduced "RCCI Size", the world's first nutritional programme for dogs that takes account for age, lifestyle and the size/weight ratio of various dog breeds.
Therapeutic dog food: From research to store
The Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition is a pet nutrition research institute and the source of authority underpinning all Mars pet care brands (including Cesar® and Nutro®).
Royal Canin also manufactures special dog food diets, that can only be bought upon veterinary approval.
Mars Petcare announced in 2010 their commitment to only use sustainably sourced fish by 2020.
Corporate website: www.mars.com.
#2 Nestlé SA (Nestlé Purina Petcare)
Nestlé headquarters resides in Vevey, Switzerland.
As a steady second Nestlé is going green. This company is the first to use renewable energy to produce dog food.
- Purina One®
- Purina Pro Plan®
- Purina Veterinary Diets
- Beneful®
- VitaLife®
- Puppy Chow®
- Mighty Dog®
- Beggin'®
Purina donates food throughout the year in various locations within the contiguous United States as it becomes available through our manufacturing plants and warehouses. Animal Welfare organizations are eligible to pick up donations of Purina pet food in their area when they register with "Pets for People".
Many studies have shown - but I'm sure you don't need the evidence as you have real life experience - that a dog's friendship can increase your health. Because of this fact Purina helps to cover the cost of adoption fees and provides coupons and a pet care booklet via their "Pets for Seniors" program.
Corporate websites: www.nestle.com and www.purina.com.
#3 Colgate-Palmolive (Hill's Pet Nutrition)
Colgate-Palmolive's headquarters resides in New York, USA.
Their top dog food brands include:
- Hill's Science Diet®
- Hill's Nature's Best®
- Hill's Prescription Diet®
A wide range of clinically proven prescription diets for dogs (and cats)
Colgate-Palmolive conducts a lot of research in the field of palatability (the tastiness of the food) and nutrigenomics (the effect of nutrition on gene expression and certain diseases).
Corporate websites: www.colgate.com and www.hillspet.com.
#4 Procter & Gamble Co. (P&G Petcare)
Corporate headquarters resides in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Their top dog food brands include:
- Eukanuba®
- Iams®
Corporate websites: www.pg.com, www.eukanuba.com and www.iams.com.
#5 Del Monte Foods Co.
Corporate headquarters resides in San Fransisco, USA.
Their top dog food brands include:
- Nature's Recipe®
- Meaty Bone®
- Kibbles 'n Bits®
- Gravy Train®
Corporate website: www.delmonte.com.
#6 Agrolimen SA (Affinity Petcare SA)
Corporate headquarters resides in Sant Cugat del Vallés, Spain.
Their top dog food brands include:
- Affinity®
- Brekkies®
- Ultima®
Corporate website: www.affinity-petcare.com.
#7 Unicharm Corp. (Unicharm Petcare Corp.)
Corporate headquarters resides in Tokyo, Japan.
Their top food brands include:
- Aiken Genki®
- Neko Genki®
- Gaines®
- Gin no Spoon®
- Gin no Sara®
Corporate website: www.unicharm.co.jp and www.uc-petcare.co.jp.
#8 Nutriara Alimentors Ltd
Corporate headquarters resides in Arapongas, Brazil.
Their top dog food brands include:
- Br4Dogs and Cats®
- Dog Show®
- Show Dog®
- Blog Dog®
- Full Dog®
Corporate website: www.brazilianpetfoods.com.br.
#9 Total Alimentos SA
Corporate headquarters resides in Três Corações, Brazil.
Their top food brands include:
- Família Max®
- Big Boss®
Corporate website: www.totalalimentos.com.br.
#10 Mogiana Alimentos SA
Corporate headquarters resides in Campinas, Brazil.
Their top food brands include:
- Gubai Natural for dogs and cats®
- Flavour & Health®
Corporate website: www.guabi.com.
Dog food manufacturers Mars and Nestlé rule half the dog food world
The two biggest dog food companies are Mars Inc. and Nestlé SA, together they take up almost half of the total global market for dog food. They rule both in developed markets as well as in emerging markets. Mars and Nestlé are similar in the following:
- World-wide presence.
- Broad brand portfolios.
- Their focus on economy brands (mid-priced dog food that can be bought at grocery stores) helped to establish a strong consumer base.
- Extensive distribution networks.
- Efficient and strong brand marketing.
On May, 1st 2007 Mars announced the acquisition of Nutro Products. However, Nutro will continue to operate as a stand-alone organization and maintain their focus on the pet speciality channel.
The remaining half of the market is for all other dog food manufacturers to divide. Del Monte Foods has a limited global presence but will take a larger bite out of the dog food market through recent acquisitions.
Should dog food manufacturers eat their own dog food?
Developed dog food markets
The market for dog food is expected to increase at least until 2010. New products are developed because of new scientific insights, pet pampering and a desire for convenience.
In developed markets the main trends are pet humanization and convenience packaging. This drives dog owners to buy more dog treats and more expensive dog food (including premium dog food, natural dog food, functional dog food and human-style products). So premium and super premium dog food show the biggest growth in developed markets.
Companies that benefit from the premium dog food and super premium dog food trend in the US are amongst others Procter & Gamble Co, Colgate-Palmolive and Nutro.
Japan is the world's second largest market for pet products (the US being the biggest one). The last three dog food companies in 2007's top 10 list (see below) are Unicharm Corp., Nisshin Seifun Group Inc. and Nippon Flour Mills Co. Ltd. and these are all Japanese dog food manufacturers.
Emerging dog food markets
Countries in Eastern Europe and Latin America are in the process of switching from table scraps to commercial dog food. In these regions the mid-priced economy brands show the largest growth as average purchasing power is lower and dog owners in these regions are not ready to call themselves "pet parents" as is the case in the US. Dogs in these countries are typically kept for work or security purposes.
In emerging markets growth can get very fast as dog owners get more spending power and are getting better informed about dog nutrition. Dog food manufacturers that have a distribution network in these parts of the world will benefit from those developments.
Where to buy dog food and dog treats online
Although you can conveniently order kidney disease dog food online, you still need veterinarian approval in order to purchase prescription dog food. Upon checkout all necessary information will be collected and a prescription will be verified by the online webstore if required. Alternatively you buy these kinds of food at the veterinarian's.
Previous dog food manufacturers list
Since it's always nice to see who disappeared, who grew and who's new I've included the old top 10 of dog food manufacturers as well. This list is the top 10 in 2007 (created in 2008).
Top 10 dog food manufacturers in 2008
This list was compiled in 2009.
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Mars Inc. (Mars Petcare)
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Nestlé SA (Nestlé Purina Petcare)
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Colgate-Palmolive (Hill's Pet Nutrition)
A year ago Colgate-Palmolive held the fourth position and now switched places with Procter & Gamble.
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Procter & Gamble Co. (P&G Petcare)
Dropped one place as compared to 2007's top 10.
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Del Monte Foods Co.
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Agrolimen SA (Affinity Petcare SA)
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Unicharm Corp. (Unicharm Petcare Corp.)
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Nutriara Alimentors Ltd
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Total Alimentos SA
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Nisshin Seifun Group Inc. (Nisshin Petfood Inc.)
Top 10 dog food manufacturers in 2007
This list was compiled in 2008.
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Mars Inc. (Mars Petcare)
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Nestlé SA (Nestlé Purina Petcare)
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Procter & Gamble Co. (P&G Petcare)
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Colgate-Palmolive (Hill's Pet Nutrition)
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Del Monte Foods Co.
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Agrolimen SA (Affinity Petcare SA)
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Nutro Products Inc.
Their top dog food brands includes Natural Choice Complete and Ultra Dog. Nutro has staked its success and growth on a commitment to the pet speciality channel and usage of all-natural ingredients.Nutro has disappeared from the top 10, because it was acquired by Mars.
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Unicharm Corp. (Unicharm Petcare Corp.)
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Nisshin Seifun Group Inc. (Nisshin Petfood Inc.)
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Nippon Flour Mills Co. Ltd. (Nippon Petfoods Co. Ltd.)
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The "Confidential Dog Food Report" is an e-book written by Andrew Lewis. Now for those of you who know him, you know that he doesn't think highly of commercial dog food. In fact he likes homemade dog food diets. But commercial dog food is not always bad of course.
You just need to find the best food for YOUR pet. Andrew has listed the top 9 dog food brands that are just better-than-good, which is a good starting place for you. After all homecooking can be nice on occasion, but commercial dog food is very convenient. Just find the right one!
Find out more about this list of ultra-healthy top dog food brands »
Related pages
- Learn more about market drivers in the world of dog food
- Where to buy dog food online in the US or Europe?
- Regulations for commercial dog food in the US
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