Petco partners with Freshpet

The service requires pet parents to complete a questionnaire to receive a personalized meal plan outlining feeding guidelines based on the dogs’ breed, age, body type, and activity level. The service comes at $3 (€2.7) per day, offering natural chicken, beef, salmon or eggs, real fruits, and vegetables.

The service will be available across 15 states later in 2023, including California, Texas, Florida, and New York.

Scott Morris, Co-Founder and President of Freshpet, remarked, “As shoppers seek healthier, real food for their pets, they’re also looking for solutions that provide added convenience. Our partnership with Petco allows us to deliver on both – creating customized healthy meal plans delivered to consumers’ doorsteps.”

“We’re thrilled to partner with Freshpet, the leader in fresh pet food, to bring Freshpet Custom Meals to life through our differentiated, seamless omnichannel ecosystem as part of our ongoing commitment to pets’ high-quality nutrition and complete health and wellness,” said Amy College, Petco’s Chief Merchandising Officer.

The fresh food market

The partnership comes into play following the knowledge of increased consumer interest in direct-to-doorstep fresh, personalized pet meal plans. 

A survey by Nielsen IQ, Packaged Facts, and Earnest credit card data reported that the fresh/frozen pet food category is expected to grow 3 to 4 times its current value, reaching up to $6 billion (€5.4B) in the next 4 years. 

Furthermore, the direct-to-consumer pet segment is notably growing faster than pet e-commerce.

About Freshpet

For Q4 of 2022, Freshpet’s net sales increased by 43.1% to $165.8 million (€149.9M), compared to $115.9 million (€104.8M) in Q4 2021, while the net loss was down by 68% to $2.9 million (€2.6M) from $9.3 million (€8.4M) in 2022.

The increase in net sales was driven by pricing, velocity, distribution gains, and innovation, while the loss was due to higher net sales, increased gross profit, and decreased SG&A.

In 2022, total net sales grossed $595.3 million (€538.8M), an increment of 39.9% from $425.5 million (€385.1M) in 2021. However, the net loss increased to $59.5 million (€53.8M) in 2022 from $29.7 million (€26.8M).

For 2023, Freshpet’s outlook is to end the year at a net sales worth of $750 million (€679M), with increased growth of 26%.