Vanguard Awards: Air-Dried Premium Foods

Leading air-dried premium foods companies approach the category from many angles. ZIWI sought to bring a wholly nutritious alternative to the mass-consumed kibble and canned foods of the day. Redbarn Pet Products looked to evolve a better format to make it easier and more palatable to feed protein-dense options. And Hillside Farms, via The Good List, built on the success of its air-dried dog treats to present a complete nutrition solution for pet owners. Regardless of their paths to the category, these leaders’ motives are all rooted in a desire to help pet owners feed the best, most nutritious foods to their pets that are within their means—both practically and financially.

“At Redbarn, we’ve long been committed to delivering meat-first, nutrient-dense solutions for pets, and the air-dried premium foods category offered a natural extension of that mission,” said Lindsay Tracey, VP of Product Development. “What we saw in the market was a lack of complete and balanced air-dried options that offered both functionality and palatability. Many products leaned heavily into raw or freeze-dried nutrition but didn’t always meet the needs of everyday feeding—either due to cost, accessibility or limited flavor profiles.”

Tracey continued, “We stepped in to bridge that gap. Our goal was to create a line that preserved the integrity of raw-inspired nutrition through gentle air-drying, while also delivering on convenience, taste and targeted health support. That meant going beyond basic protein and focusing on real-world functionality—digestive health, skin and coat support and life-stage-specific formulas.”

A strong foundation in minimally processed meats set the stage for ZIWI’s success in the category. 

“In 2002, ZIWI entered the air-dried premium pet food space recognizing a gap in the market for truly nutritious, minimally processed options,” said Jessica Krueger, Director of Marketing Communications. “The founders were inspired by the ancestral diet of dogs and cats, seeking to create food that closely mimics what pets would naturally consume in the wild. At the time, the market was dominated by conventional kibble and canned options that often contained fillers and artificial ingredients.”

Krueger explained that when ZIWI entered the market, several areas were underserved. 

“Limited whole-prey nutrition options that included organ meats and natural sources of vitamins and minerals,” she listed. “Few truly grain-free alternatives without processed substitutes; minimal offerings that addressed both premium quality and convenience; and lack of ethical, sustainable sourcing from trusted regions like New Zealand.”

Air-dried foods have since become more mainstream, spurring companies like Hillside Farms to refine its technique to make nutritious and enticingly soft air-dried dog treats. VP of Sales and Marketing Scott Wu explained it was an easy transition to go from treats to complete pet foods. Hillside Farms, under its Farmland Traditions branding, debuted The Good List last year. 

“The only difference between an air-dried dog treat versus air-dried dog food is ensuring you’re AAFCO compliant. AAFCO is the government board ensuring you have all the necessary vitamins and minerals that your dog needs to be considered a dog food. As long as you’re hitting your nutritional value to be in compliance for a full and complete diet, that is the biggest thing.”

But The Good List is much more than about checking regulatory boxes. 

“Just like our name states, the ingredient deck is only made of good ingredients, and what we did was many companies nowadays are using percentages like 90 percent protein, 80 percent protein,” Wu said. “What we did was we wanted to be fully transparent in our dog food so we have 90 percent protein and then 10 percent superfood botanical blend. We’re fully transparent in 100 percent of our deck there.”