Category Analysis: Freeze-Dried Premium Foods

By recognizing the opportunities to stand out by meeting and exceeding demands for exceptional, first-rate food and treats, companies are entering the freeze-dried premium food and treats space with their personalized offerings. 

Get Joy, a manufacturer specializing in gut-healthy freeze-dried raw and whole food dog nutrition, has launched a limited edition Pumpkin Spice Freeze-Dried Raw Superfood Treat and revamped its veterinarian-developed line of meals, treats and supplements. These products are crafted in collaboration with vets and nutritionists, incorporating science-based ingredients to enhance digestion, boost immunity and promote longevity in dogs, making quality nutrition both accessible and approachable for pet owners. “I founded Get Joy when my own dog was diagnosed with cancer, and I saw the transformative power of nutrition firsthand,” Founder and CEO Tom Arrix said in a press release. “Today, we’re proud to help pet parents everywhere bring more wellness—and more joy—into their dog’s life.”

Earlier this summer, retailer Woof Gang Bakery & Grooming unveiled its newest proprietary innovation: the Woof Gang Freeze-Dried Raw line. The latest offering is crafted in the USA with premium animal proteins and void of fillers, preservatives or artificial ingredients.

Woof Gang Bakery & Grooming’s freeze-dried raw collection offers convenient, nutrient-dense options including complete entrées, functional toppers and single-ingredient protein treats, all grain-free and filler-free to provide the benefits of raw feeding without the mess or hassle. “Our customers count on Woof Gang to deliver best-in-class grooming and the best treats in the business and that means staying ahead of the curve,” CEO Ricardo Azevedo said in a press release. “Every product we create reflects direct feedback from the pets and pet parents we serve. From in-store conversations to franchise partner insights, our development process is rooted in what real customers want and what real dogs love. With the addition of freeze-dried raw, we’re meeting demand for natural, nutrient-rich feeding options while continuing to grow our proprietary offerings with purpose, quality and care.” 

Meanwhile, manufacturers such as Green Juju, Muenster Pet, Shepherd Boy Farms, Small Batch Pets and Vital Essentials have spent longer in the arena and have played an integral role in the space’s growth and development. 

“2025 has been a milestone year for Shepherd Boy Farms,” said Founder and CEO Ashton Hood. “We’ve expanded our reach nationally, strengthened retail partnerships and continued to invest in innovation that keeps us ahead in the freeze-dried premium segment. One of our proudest accomplishments has been the successful launch of new recipes designed around whole-prey nutrition, which have been very well received by both retailers and pet parents. To meet this rapid growth, we are currently building a second manufacturing facility, which will more than double our production capacity while maintaining our uncompromising standards of quality. This expansion ensures that we can continue to serve growing demand with consistency and excellence.”

“2025 has been a pivotal year of growth where we have focused on making raw accessible to pet parents,” said Heather Govea, CEO, Vital Essentials. “There are far too many barriers that make raw feeding difficult to understand, so our approach has been to view the category through the eyes of a non-raw feeder and remove those barriers. We asked and answered questions we see as these barriers, and we are proud of the results: How much raw do I feed? Our Nutrition Calculator gives personalized recommendations for incorporating raw protein into 20 percent, 50 percent or 100 percent of a pet’s diet—it builds confidence and takes the guesswork out of it. My dog has sensitive teeth or is a picky eater—what do I feed? We introduced Soft Nibs to fill this gap—the texture and range of protein options align with our goal of serving more pets through variety and format. We launched 10 new SKUs across dog and cat. The novel proteins such as beef and salmon have been game-changers for pet parents whose pets have allergies or are looking for variety. Will raw feeding add more complexity to our routine? We’ve tackled that head-on with packaging rejuvenation. Our RAW Bar moved from difficult shrink wrap to an easy tear notch. Our frozen line went from patties stuck together to individually vacuum-sealed single-serve patties that eliminate freezer burn and make thawing simple. We also launched 3-lb big bags to make raw feeding more cost-effective for multi-dog or large dog households. Each of these solutions addresses real barriers we heard from pet parents, making raw nutrition accessible to more people who want better for their pets.”

“I started this company with very clear values,” Green Juju Founder Kelley Marian previously said. “I was focused on bringing my dog back to health and quality was non-negotiable. That commitment has stayed at the core of everything we do. While there are always moving parts in business, we’re intentional about how we adapt—always in ways that uphold the integrity and quality of our products. That’s a line we don’t cross.”

“I saw an opportunity to create something unique, deeply nutritious and fun to feed,” Marian continued. “Pet parents could now offer grass-fed or pasture-raised organ meats paired with functional plants—bringing variety and real nutrition to their pets in a format that’s easy and enjoyable to use. It’s not just a treat—it actually enhances the diet. Pets love the treats and the treats love their bodies back.”

“We have seen strong, continued momentum in the gently cooked area for us,” said Small Batch Pets CEO Steve Donzelli, which produces raw, frozen, gently cooked and freeze-dried products. “In order: gently cooked continues to drive a lot of our growth along with freeze-dried where I would say that frozen is holding its own this year. We’re seeing—not just us, but the entire industry—a shift from frozen raw to gently cooked. We’ve seen that there is some trade down happening on the frozen side. Gently cooked and freeze-dried continue to do extremely well for us, and we’re very pleased with our frozen performance this year.”

“Muenster Pet’s freeze-dried facility is unique with vertical integration from the expansive meat room to the automated packaging lines,” said Chief Revenue Officer Ryan James. “This, along with our SQF certification, world-class food safety practitioners, and an excellent food safety record, makes Muenster Pet a top-choice for brands and retailers seeking a domestic freeze-dried manufacturer. Moreover, Muenster offers our customers technical expertise to drive innovation and create custom formulations supported by available manufacturing capacity.”

“Our success is rooted in staying true to our mission: crafting nutritionally superior foods and treats with integrity,” Hood with Shepherd Boy Farms said. “We only source premium, responsibly raised ingredients, and we produce everything here in the USA. Transparency, consistency and strong retailer relationships have built lasting trust in our brand. Just as importantly, we listen to pet parents, adapting to their evolving expectations while never compromising on nutritional excellence.”

Vital Essentials prioritizes providing premium raw nutrition with high-quality cuts and ease of use with busy pet parents in mind. Building trust through transparency and consistent quality is crucial, as consumers favor brands they can rely on. By making raw nutrition approachable, Vital Essentials empowers pet parents to make better dietary choices on behalf of their pets, subsequently building loyalty and trust while keeping better options accessible.

“We produce premium raw nutrition made with the finest Butcher Cut Protein, but we also design our products to be genuinely simple to use,” Govea said. “Pet parents want to do better for their pets, but they need solutions that work in their real lives. Building trust is essential. Consumers buy from brands they trust, so we focus on transparency and delivering consistent quality while making raw nutrition approachable for more pet parents.”

“When consumers think Small Batch, they’re thinking ingredient first,” Donzelli said. “From our perspective, we never use mechanically separated meat, which is both less expensive as well as lower quality with a higher risk of pathogens. We use organic fruits and vegetables and no synthetics. We’re extremely proud of the ingredients we’ve always maintained. The other piece for us that’s been really good is we’ve held true to who we are, not only with ingredients but with our messaging. For the first time, Small Batch has deployed a professional marketing team, our social media is way up, our messaging with consumers is consistent and proficient, and we’re starting to do a lot more consumer outreach and consumer acquisition through digital platforms this year which has really helped us.”

“At this time of the year, there’s significant activity with current and potential customers to well support their 2026 strategies for freeze-dried treats, meals and kibble-plus,” James with Muenster Pet said. “Shopper trends and meaningful expansion of freeze-dried pet treats and meals are reflected in tremendous growth potential across all pet brands and retail channels. As macro-economic conditions improve, pet parents embrace the nutritional quality, convenience and food-safety from minimally processed freeze-dried treats and meals.”

“As we close out the year, our focus is on deepening retail support, rolling out seasonal programs and preparing for several new product launches in early 2026,” Hood said. “We’re also investing in education for both retailers and consumers—helping them understand the nutritional and health benefits of freeze-dried diets. Operationally, our emphasis is on efficiency and sustainability so we can scale responsibly while continuing to deliver best-in-class quality. At the same time, Shepherd Boy Farms is entering an exciting new phase of growth by marketing our brand internationally. We are now expanding into several countries, introducing our freeze-dried nutrition to new markets where demand for premium pet nutrition is rising rapidly.”

Vital Essentials is dedicated to transforming raw feeding by introducing versatile formats like single-serve frozen patties, new RAW Bar packaging and 3-lb. big bags, all designed to meet the unique needs of pet parents and retailers. These innovations aim to make raw feeding more accessible, flexible and convenient, accommodating different household sizes and budgets while providing retailers with adaptable merchandising options to better serve their customers and promote healthy, natural pet nutrition. “We’re focused on launching these product transformations that make raw feeding more accessible and flexible,” Govea said. “The single-serve frozen patties, new RAW Bar packaging and 3-lb. big bags all address specific needs we’ve heard from both retailers and pet parents. These formats help make raw feeding work for different household sizes and budgets while giving retailers versatile options for merchandising.”

“We just launched a product; we have a new freeze-dried bite which is a circular-shaped product smaller than our patties that is good for both small dogs as well as people can scoop and serve on-the-go if they’d like,” Donzelli said. “It comes in more convenient packaging and is complete and balanced. We’re really excited about. We’re going to continue to hold our own. We’re doing a little bit of promotion. We have tremendous fill rates. Our fill rates have been consistently high all year. We’re efficient with our spending and our productivity as it relates to where we are putting our resources for inventory.”

“Thanks to an aggressive expansion in 2025 of freeze-dried treats and meals from pet specialty to mainstream retailers, the freeze-dried category is a leading growth segment in the pet industry today, second only to refrigerated pet foods,” James said. “Now measuring well over $1 billion, the freeze-dried category rivals the size of the more mature refrigerated segment.”

“The category is thriving, fueled by consumer demand for cleaner, minimally processed and biologically appropriate pet food,” Hood said. “During the last year, the category has matured—shifting from niche to mainstream. Retailers now dedicate more space to freeze-dried offerings and consumers are showing strong loyalty to brands that deliver proven results.”