Category Captains: Baked Treats and Premium Cat Foods

Baked Treats

When most pet owners give their dogs a treat, it’s more than just a food transaction. It’s love. And no company understands that more than Treat Planet. The company’s guiding principle is to only produce treats they would feed to their own pets, fostering trust and loyalty among consumers.

“Baked treats help us share something that means something special to us with our dog,” said Founder Doug Martin. “While the baked treat category in general is experiencing a decline because consumers are seeking higher-end products, frosted baked treats have been showing growth.” 

Martin shared, “There has been a trend of the humanization of pets, where pet owners have a desire to provide their pets with higher quality, more meaningful and nutritional treats—paralleling the way they treat their family members. Frosted baked treats bring us back to our memories and celebrations, such as holidays and birthdays.”

Treat Planet has proven the importance of connecting emotionally with consumers through its creative and ever-changing baked treat offerings. 

“Our unique designs and frosted shapes help make each store visit feel fresh yet nostalgic. Our continuous creativity in product design has been essential in ensuring that engaging treats are always available to attract new and repeat purchases.”

While consumers and their furry families enjoy the unique treat designs, retailers appreciate Treat Planet’s tailored displays, which help them maximize their sales throughout the store. Martin described, 

“Our merchandising expertise and display innovations, such as the development of our small-footprint and grab-and-go counter displays and baker cases, allow retailers to capture purchases at checkout and through the store. We pride ourselves on how closely we work with our retail partners to create customized merchandising and marketing support. Recently, we developed bakery sets and freezer options in checkout lanes to adapt to changing market demands.” 

“Our collaborative approach and willingness to listen to retailer suggestions and innovate sets the company apart and drives mutual growth,” he stated. “Retailers also appreciate that Treat Planet provides a full spectrum of grab-and-go products, from baked cookies to meat-based treats and chews, enabling retailers to cover multiple categories with one partner. Treat Planet assists retailers in managing entire product categories, not just individual SKUs, by offering solutions that address customer needs and maximize sales opportunities.”

Pet owners seeking something different for their pets can safely reach for Treat Planet’s baked treats. Their quality and creativity deliver emotional connection through delightful designs. 

Thanks to the company’s attention to displays and retail partnerships, owners and their dogs can easily eat them up. 

Premium Cat Foods

Applaws emphasizes recognizable, high-quality ingredients with no unnecessary additives, with the intent to connect with devoted cat owners and drive continued growth in the future.

Steve Hilker, Head of Marketing for MPM Products, home of the Applaws brand, points out that natural cat food is growing due to pet owners’ adoration for their pets and manufacturers’, like Applaws’, dedication to constantly upgrading the category. 

“Natural cat food continues to deliver incremental growth for retailers through premiumization, humanization and innovation,” he said. “As a cat-first brand, we know shoppers want to include products made from recognizable, premium quality ingredients with none of the unnecessary additives as part of their diet. All of which feeds into how we bring our brand to life with shoppers—cat parents—and the products we offer for cats to enjoy. We wouldn’t be doing what we do if we didn’t see a long runway ahead of growth ahead of us!”

Hilker justifies that while cats are often called nit-picky, they do in fact want diversity and have changing preferences, similar to their pet parents. “Cats get labeled as ‘fussy’ or ‘finicky’, but we also recognize them as ‘variety seekers’—just like you or I,” Hilker said.

Applaws’ approach as a company centers on understanding cats and their owners to drive innovation. They work closely with retailers, who are on the front lines and interact daily with cat parents, to share insights and improve the in-store experience and product development. Their goal is to create naturally tasty, high-quality meals for felines. “Our mantra is ‘making visibly better cat food with naturally tasty ingredients, for naturally curious cats,’” Hilker said. “This means everything we do starts with cats—understanding their behaviors and preferences—and those of their human owners—drives our innovation and how we go to market. We work closely with our retailer partners to share our insights, but also to gather theirs, as they’re at ground-zero talking daily with cat parents shopping at their stores, asking questions and telling stories. This two-way interaction helps us bring the best possible experience to our customers—and the best possible new products for our cats—and the people who feed them.”

Hilker reiterates that while many brands make cat food, few prioritize cats’ behaviors and preferences first. This focus on being truly cat-centric differentiates their brand with retailers and shoppers. 

“Many companies and brands make cat food—fewer can truly say that at the heart of what they do, they are cat-first,” Hilker said. “This sets us apart with retailers and their shoppers as we really focus almost exclusively on cats and their humans.”