Pet Insight 2023 Category Catalysts: LID Foods, FirstMate Pet Foods

While pet owners who are struggling with their pets’ food sensitivities and allergies have found a solution through limited ingredient diet (LID) foods, not all LID pet foods are the same. FirstMate Pet Foods continues to serve as a leader in the LID premium foods category with its meticulous ingredient sourcing, clean nutritional profiles and a unique origin story that resonates with pet owners.

Even with more than 30 years in the pet food business, FirstMate moves ahead with several growth strategies this year. “Our ingredient procurement, nutrition and sales teams have all worked together to introduce products that expand the depth of our line while ensuring that SKUs are purposeful, ensuring that retailers will be able to better meet pet parent needs,” said Matt Wilson, General Manager of Sales and Marketing. “In addition, we add strong digital campaigns while extending content to retailers via Promoboxx, Astro and other mediums to help drive new consumer traffic.”

A robust partnership with retailers has also been vital to the brand’s success. “Our retailers are placing indie-focused brands such as FirstMate in premium locations in-store and online,” said Wilson. “In addition, they are ensuring their in-store and digital teams are taking advantage of our in-person and online training programs, using our samples, Astro Offers and Promoboxx content to place FirstMate into the hands of more quality-seeking pet parents.”

Throughout its history, FirstMate has been able to watch the category evolve and fine-tune its offerings to ensure most pet owners can find something that works for them. “Consumers are recognizing that not all limited ingredient foods are equal,” he said. “They are seeking truly limited diets, such as FirstMate, because the simplicity enables seamless rotation while mitigating food sensitivities. Having five unique proteins is also important because pet parents are more likely to find one or more options that meet their dog or cat’s needs.”

Providing a variety of SKUs is just one way to support consumers and partners; this year in particular has challenged FirstMate to help its independent pet specialty partners remain competitive as pet owners who are faced with higher prices might veer outside the channel to look for cheaper feeding options. “The most common challenge this year is consumers continually evaluating spending limitations,” explained  Wilson. “An uncertain and increasingly expensive economy has impacted our retailers, with many reporting reduced non-essential item sales. We have worked closely with our partners to build purposeful campaigns designed to drive traffic into indie stores and ensure that indie retailers have competitively priced items that drive traffic and help retain customers who might be considering outside channel retailers because of a perceived price advantage.”

It might feel like an uphill climb, but FirstMate isn’t deterred. “Our Founder and President Michael Florian started FirstMate not only to make quality products available to pet parents but also with the understanding that to do so, we need to ensure our staff, distribution and retail partners are strong,” Wilson said. “Partnership, quality and our team remain our primary focus. Keeping those three items top-of-mind ensures we maintain our initial mission.”