Global Pet Expo Takeaways: Premium Foods

During Global Pet Expo, premium food exhibitors took notice of how the cat product sector has exploded in category growth, popularity and demand and has taken center stage not just at Global, but within the overarching pet industry. Exhibitors took note that format and function are facets which pet owners take into consideration. As a result, premium foods are offered in kibble, canned food and freeze-dried formats to appeal to pets. These foods offer added health benefits and meet specific dietary needs. Overall, exhibitors wanted attendees to feel confident in premium food brands’ experience, know-how and commitment to quality in their product lines.

“We were thrilled to showcase our new Applaws Kitten Healthy Start, our expanded Vitality Dry lineup, and the new additions to our Vitality wet range,” said Alayna Vicario, Senior Brand Manager for Applaws. “Together, these launches really demonstrated how we continue to deliver natural, high‑quality nutrition made with real ingredients!” 

“Global is an important early-year moment for Nulo because it’s when retailers are finalizing assortment, merchandising, and marketing plans for the year,” said Head of Retail & Product Marketing, Eric Emmenegger. “What worked especially well for us was the quality of face-to-face time with key decision makers—our sales and leadership team was able to align on retailer priorities and walk partners through where our innovation pipeline is headed. We also saw strong engagement around our premium positioning: high-quality, nutrient-dense nutrition with formulation authenticity and manufacturing progress that supports pet health and wellbeing.” 

The response to Natural Farm Pet’s new Cold Dried Bully Sticks launch was one facet of the show experience that worked especially well for them. “The product generated strong interest because it brought something genuinely innovative to the category, and attendees immediately understood its differentiation and appeal,” said Natural Farm Pet CEO Marcus Maximo. “It was exciting to see buyers and retailers respond so positively to a product that feels both new to the market and highly relevant to today’s consumer demand. Another key success was the introduction of our bully stick shipper display, which was designed specifically to help retailers drive sell-through. With aggressive pricing built in, the display gives retailers a stronger opportunity to compete with online pricing while also protecting margin. That combination of innovation plus practical retail support made our presence at the show especially impactful.”

Storytelling and engagement were top priorities for the Portland Pet Food Company team. “Global was a strong success for us, particularly in terms of meaningful engagement,” said Portland Pet Food Company President Kate McCarron. “What worked best was our ability to connect authentically with both existing partners and new retailers who are looking for differentiated, high-quality products. Our booth experience really resonated—being able to tell our story around human-grade ingredients, transparency, and our Portland roots helped us stand out in a crowded space. We also saw strong interest in our core product lines, especially from retailers focused on premium and natural assortments.”

Global was a very productive show for Gott Pet Products’ Hounds & Gatos brand. “For Hound & Gatos, we saw strong engagement around our premium, limited-ingredient canned diets, especially as interest in high-protein, meat-first nutrition continues to grow,” said General Manager, Rob Cadenhead. “Conversations were highly strategic, with both domestic and international partners focused on expanding premium assortment and differentiation at shelf. Equally important, we had a high quality of meetings—with key distributors, international partners, and mass and specialty retailers—which we expect to convert into meaningful new distribution and expanded placements in 2026.”

“Global gave us a real opportunity to put the people behind Earth Animal front and center,” said Trade Marketing Manager, Tasha Valentin-Jucius. “We spotlighted our founder, Dr. Bob Goldstein, alongside our veterinarian, Dr. Kris, for a Wisdom Air-Dried Dog Food training session that let retailers hear directly from the experts who formulate our recipes. That personal connection is something we believe matters deeply in this industry. We also shared an early teaser of our Wisdom Cat Food, launching this fall, which generated a lot of excitement. And to close things out, we celebrated with fresh bacon cheeseburgers to mark the upcoming June shipment of our No-Hide Bacon Cheeseburger display. On top of that, we announced the addition of No-Hide Stix to our From the Grill line, a SKU that continues to grow and has been one of the most popular requests from our retail partners.”

“One of the things that really worked for us at Global was getting people more involved and engaged with our brands and products,” reflected Ryan Wilson, SVP of Marketing for Ethos Pet Brands. “We encouraged attendees to get a hands-on experience with our products. A great example of this was with our Natural Balance Yo-Gut Bites treats. By handing out product samples, we had the chance to talk about the digestive benefits and show how the oven-baked treats are topped with a Greek-yogurt drizzle and probiotics.”

“That same hands-on mindset also carried over into how we introduced our upcoming creative campaign, “That’s Good Sh*t,” for Natural Balance,” Wilson continued. “We hosted listening sessions in the booth to get feedback on the new campaign directly from retailers and industry colleagues. It was great to hear their positive real-time feedback and reactions to the new creative.”

He added, “We also created a lot of energy by celebrating the deep heritage behind our brands, particularly with a 30th birthday celebration for Canidae. Sharing that milestone gave us a natural way to talk about our history, our commitment to sustainable ingredients, and the relationships we’ve built over the years. It helped ground all the innovation in something deeper—and reminded people why our brands have stayed relevant for so long.”

“We wanted attendees to leave our booth with a clear sense that Natural Farm Pet is a brand bringing both innovation and practical retail value to the market,” Maximo said. “From the excitement around our new product launches to the response to our merchandising solutions, we wanted people to see that we are focused not only on developing differentiated products, but also on helping our retail partners grow the category successfully. More broadly, we hoped attendees walked away understanding that Natural Farm Pet is committed to delivering premium, natural products with a strong point of difference, while staying closely connected to what retailers and consumers need today. The takeaway we wanted to leave was that Natural Farm Pet is a brand that is thinking about the future of the category and building solutions that support both pet parents and our partners at shelf.”

“More than anything, we want people to walk away understanding that Portland Pet Food is a brand built on integrity—real natural functional ingredients, purposeful sourcing, and a genuine love for pets,” McCarron said. “We want attendees to feel: that our products are truly different—not just in claims, but in substance; that we’re a partner who is thoughtful, reliable, and easy to work with, and that we bring both heart and strong business value to the table. If someone left our booth thinking, ‘This is a brand I trust and want to grow with,’ then we did our job.”

Cadenhead said: “We wanted every visitor to walk away with a clear understanding of who we are and what we stand for: Simplicity and trust. Whether it’s Charlee Bear or Hound & Gatos, we focus on doing the basics exceptionally well—high-quality ingredients, clear purpose, and products pets love. Our products are designed to integrate easily into everyday routines—whether that’s training with low-calorie treats, enhancing meals with toppers, or feeding high-quality, protein-forward diets. We’re not just offering products—we’re building brands alongside our retail and distribution partners. We’re focused on driving turns, supporting marketing, and creating long-term value at shelf and online. Ultimately, we wanted attendees to leave thinking: these are brands that are easy to understand, easy to sell, and built for where the category is going.”

The Earth Animal team wanted attendees to walk away knowing that Earth Animal is not just the creator of No-Hide, the Original Alternative to Rawhide. In fact, Valentin-Jucius said, “We are a brand that continues to innovate and double down on products that deliver the very best for their pets. Quality is something we take personally. We are proud to be control freaks operating our very own Wisdom craftory, and we want them to feel that confidence every time they recommend an Earth Animal product. When it comes to what goes into your pet’s bodies, there should be zero guesswork!”

“We wanted attendees to see that our new product innovations are meeting the needs of today’s pet parents,” Wilson with Ethos said. “We are focused on continuing to offer thoughtful solutions—and telling pet parents about them—that will help our retailers grow their businesses while staying aligned with evolving consumer expectations. If visitors left our booth feeling inspired by the innovation, confident in our expertise, and excited about the direction of the brand—then we accomplished exactly what we set out to do at Global.”

Premium food manufacturers highlighted several key trends, including solutions for cats, functional and preventative nutrition, verifiable nutrition claims, and increased transparency regarding ingredients and supply chains.

“One of the biggest takeaways from Global was that the premium food category is moving beyond premium as a positioning statement and toward premium with clear proof,” said Maximo. “The strongest trends were around supply chain transparency, functional nutrition, a more defined meaning of ‘natural,’ and new food formats that make premium feeding more accessible for more pet parents. Buyers are asking more specific questions about sourcing, formulation, and nutritional benefits, and they are looking for products that solve real feeding needs.”

“For Natural Farm Pet, that reinforces where we see opportunity in both freeze-dried and kibble,” he added. “Freeze-dried continues to gain momentum because pet parents are looking for minimally processed options with strong nutritional value, while kibble remains a major opportunity when it is elevated through better ingredients, functional benefits, and a clearer quality story.”

A few key trends stood out to the Portland Pet Food Company team, including continued premiumization with a focus on transparency, functional benefits becoming table stakes, elevated formats and experience and smaller, differentiated brands gaining traction. “Consumers—and retailers—are demanding clearer sourcing, simpler ingredient panels, and human-grade positioning,” McCarron said. “This plays directly into our strengths. Digestive health, limited ingredients, and targeted nutrition are no longer niche—they’re expected. ”

Cadenhead with Gott Pet Products said several themes stood out clearly. “Consumers are looking for benefits like digestive health, skin & coat, and joint support—but delivered through clean labels and familiar ingredients,” he elaborated. “There’s a shift away from overly complex formulations toward ‘understandable wellness.’ Treats and toppers are no longer occasional—they’re becoming part of a daily feeding routine. This creates opportunity for brands that can deliver both enjoyment and purpose in formats that are easy to use. The category continues to premiumize, but there is growing pressure to deliver value within premium. We saw increased innovation and retailer focus on cats, particularly in treats and toppers, signaling continued white space.”

Cadenhead continued, “For us, these trends validate our current direction. Hound & Gatos will remain focused on high-quality, protein-forward nutrition while exploring opportunities to expand into adjacent formats, particularly in the cat space. From an industry perspective, we expect continued growth in functional treats, toppers, and premium wet food, with brands needing to clearly communicate both benefit and value to stand out.”