SUPERZOO Preview: Freeze-Dried Premium Foods

For many freeze-dried premium food suppliers, SUPERZOO is a long -standing annual tradition for reconnecting, fostering meaningful conversations and prioritizing product innovation and retail support. These manufacturers credit SUPERZOO’s role in enabling direct engagement with retailers and industry peers. In order to propel growth and innovation industry-wide, exhibitors do their due diligence by thoroughly and scrupulously preparing for the show to create an engaging and memorable experience that supports their goal of showcasing unique products, gaining insights and staying ahead of trends.

“McLovin’s Pet has been proudly exhibiting at SUPERZOO for six consecutive years,” said Sales Support Supervisor Whitley Wan. “As the largest pet industry trade show in the US, SUPERZOO continues to be an invaluable platform for us to connect with retail partners, showcase innovation and strengthen brand visibility. Each year, our team begins preparations six to eight months in advance to ensure we deliver a high-impact experience. This includes strategic planning around booth design, product display, sampling and staff training. Our goal is to create an engaging environment that reflects our commitment to quality and leaves a lasting impression on every visitor.”

“We value the customer interactions and discussing new item and capabilities we are exhibiting,” said David DeLorenzo, VP Commercialization for Muenster Pet Foods. “Our preparation includes decisions on the focus or theme of the show that expresses what we’re bringing to market to drive category growth for current and new customers. We then prepare the materials and booth set up to reflect this, and most importantly, start to schedule meetings with customers at the show.”

“We’ve been part of SUPERZOO since 2011, and it’s become an annual tradition—a place to reconnect with industry friends, meet new partners and celebrate the shared mission of better pet health,” said BIXBI Pet CEO Rachel D’Agostino. “Tradeshows are a big investment. While we absolutely see the value in attending and connecting with industry partners, we’ve intentionally scaled back to a smaller booth this year. Our focus is on meaningful conversations rather than a large booth, because we believe our resources are better spent growing the brand where it counts: through product innovation, retail support and building deeper relationships.”

The Shepherd Boy Farms team says SUPERZOO is a necessary event for connecting with retailers, buyers and industry peers who prioritize quality, enabling them to spotlight their one of a kind solutions, listen to trusted perspectives and feedback and outpace trends. The Shepherd Boy Farms team does its due diligence to thoroughly prepare for the show to ensure its booth and the experience they offer is engaging, informative and memorable, reaffirming the show’s importance as a vital platform for relationship-building and industry innovation. “This will be our sixth year at SUPERZOO, and it’s something we look forward to every time,” said Founder and CEO Ashton Hood. “It’s the best place to connect face-to-face with the people who really get what we’re about—retailers, buyers and fellow pet food folks who care about quality. SUPERZOO continues to be worth the investment because it gives us a chance to show what makes our products different, hear what people are looking for and stay ahead of what’s happening in the industry. We start prepping well in advance—thinking through what products we’ll highlight, how to bring our booth to life, and how to make it a fun and informative experience for everyone who stops by.”

“Nulo’s most important retail business, driven by consumer preference, is our portfolio of super premium dry kibble brands,” said Eric Emmenegger, Head of Retail and Product Marketing. “Our innovations and sales progress to date are an outcome of continued investments in this key business segment. For the 52-week period ending March 29, 2025, Nielsen sales and unit growth report card verified Nulo’s pet food brand sales leadership among the top 15 pet food brands distributed through national retail outlets. Nulo sales volume was up 10.7 percent to $289.7 million and unit volume growth increased 14.5 percent to 42.5 million. We are continuing to build on that momentum through a variety of investments in our high-volume kibble portfolio.”

“This year, attendees will experience a completely reimagined McLovin’s Pet booth,” Wan said. “We’ve invested in a fresh design and visual identity to better reflect our brand’s growth and forward-thinking approach. Visitors will be the first to preview our new lineup of innovative products, with a special emphasis on expanded freeze-dried offerings and thoughtful formulations for both dogs and cats.”

“We are featuring our new freeze-dried production capability at our state of the art vertically integrated facility recently opened in Denton, TX,” said DeLorenzo. “We have a wide range of private label offerings in food and treats including house formulations that can be turnkey to custom formulations developed in collaboration with our in-house nutritional experts and customers or customer formulation consultants. We also have kibble plus freeze-dried available with production from our kibble mill in Muenster, TX blended with freeze-dried in our highly accurate custom-made blending line which allows precise inclusions of up to six components blended and uniformly dispersed throughout the bag.”

The BIXBI Pet team is intent on providing booth visitors an appealing, inviting environment designed to foster worthwhile discussions on pet nutrition and offering a sneak peek of what the company is working on. “We’ll have a warm and welcoming space, meaningful conversations about pet nutrition and a preview of new production innovation, which we’ll be launching at next year’s Global Pet Expo,” she elaborated. 

The Shepherd Boy Farms’ SUPERZOO booth will focus on transparency and education, showcasing the company’s commitment to traceability, high-quality ingredients and sourcing practices through hands-on samples, ingredient stories and open conversations with their team. A major goal for the team is to deepen booth visitors’ understanding and trust in Shepherd Boy Farm’s products, whether they are speaking with newcomers or longtime partners. “At this year’s SUPERZOO, our booth is all about showing—not just telling—what makes our food different,” Hood said. “We’re putting a big spotlight on traceability and the clean, high-quality ingredients we’re proud to use. People want to know where their pets’ food comes from, and we’re excited to pull back the curtain and walk them through how we source and make everything. Expect hands-on product samples, real ingredient stories and a team that’s ready to talk openly about how we work with our partner farms and keep quality front and center. Whether someone’s new to freeze-dried or a longtime fan, we want them to leave our booth feeling more connected to what’s in the bag—and confident in the people behind it.”

“We’ve seen a notable shift in consumer behavior, particularly the growing demand for high-protein, minimally processed and species-appropriate nutrition,” Wan said. “Additionally, the cat category has gained significant momentum this year, prompting us to strengthen our freeze-dried cat product line. While dogs remain our core focus, we’re responding to the rising interest in premium feline nutrition by introducing tailored formulas and flavors that reflect evolving customer needs. Our goal is to help push the freeze-dried segment forward through product integrity, transparency and innovation.”

The evolving perception of freeze-dried pet food, noting that consumers now view it as a complete diet rather than just treats or toppers, with price approachability playing a key role has resonated with Shepherd Boy Farms. In response, the company is launching a larger 48-oz bags to reduce cost per feeding and support pets’ curated dietary needs. “We’ve seen a big shift in how pet parents think about freeze-dried—it’s no longer just a treat or a topper,” Hood said. “More and more people want to feed freeze-dried as a full diet and affordability is a major factor in making that possible. That’s one reason we’re excited to introduce our new 48-oz bag sizes at SUPERZOO this year. They help bring down the cost per feeding and make it easier for folks to fully commit to a freeze-dried feeding program without breaking the bank. We’re also continuing to lean into what we’re known for: clean, nutrient-rich food and single-ingredient treats. Transparency and simplicity really resonate with today’s customers, and our products speak for themselves in that way. We’re proud to offer options that are not only healthy and minimally processed, but also easy to understand—no fillers, no junk, just good food.”

“We’re always excited to absorb insights from SUPERZOO’s educational programming,” Wan said. “This year, we’re especially eager to learn more about trends in sustainable packaging, functional ingredients and digital merchandising strategies. As the industry continues to evolve, we expect conversations to focus on personalized nutrition, data-driven product development and the growing intersection of health and wellness in pet care.”

D’Agostino notes pet owners increasingly seek products aligned with their values of humanization and sustainability, and while there are no new releases at SUPERZOO, her company is actively engaged in R&D with plans to unveil a new product line next spring to coincide with Global Pet Expo that will likely embody these principles. “Pet parents want products that reflect their own values,” she said. “While we won’t have any new products to announce at SUPERZOO, we’re deep in R&D and gearing up to launch a new line of products at Global Pet Expo in 2026.”

“We’re really looking forward to hearing more about what consumers and retail partners are asking for—what’s working, what’s missing and where the category is headed,” Hood said. “SUPERZOO is a great place to get those honest, on-the-ground insights. As far as trends go, we’re expecting to see a lot of focus on cats, functional ingredients and innovation in treats and toppers. It feels like the freeze-dried space is evolving quickly, especially as people look for more targeted health benefits and convenient ways to add nutrition to their pets’ meals. We’re excited to see how others are approaching those areas and how we can keep pushing our own product development to meet that demand.”

“We hope attendees walk away with a deeper understanding of how freeze-dried nutrition delivers real benefits to pets—combining raw food integrity with convenience and safety,” Wan said. “At McLovin’s Pet, our mission is to make premium, freeze-dried products more accessible to pet parents across all retail channels. Our presence at SUPERZOO reflects our passion for quality, transparency and continuous improvement, and we’re proud to be at the forefront of innovation in this growing category.”

D’Agostino reinforced BIXBI is dedicated to upholding principles of honesty and genuine concern for pets’ health. “BIXBI is committed to leading with integrity, quality and a deep care for pets’ long-term health,” she said.