Cargill to acquire Pro-Pet

On Jan. 2 Cargill Animal Nutrition announced that they had reached an agreement to acquire Pro-Pet, a manufacturer of private label and co-manufactured pet foods, including premium dog food brand Black Gold. When completed, the acquisition will make Cargill the only national supplier of both animal feed and pet food offerings in the agricultural retail space. The transaction is expected to close within the customary 30-day period, but terms of the deal remain undisclosed.

“Pro-Pet’s commitment to high-quality, safe pet food and passion for the pet food business is the perfect fit for our Cargill Animal Nutrition business and allows us to better serve our customers seeking a focused supplier for both animal feed and pet food options,” said Pilar Cruz, president, Cargill Feed and Nutrition.

Pro-Pet has more than 150 employees and three pet food manufacturing facilities in Owatonna, Minnesota; St. Marys, Ohio and Kansas City, Kansas. Pro-Pet provides Cargill with increased production capacity and proximity to existing agricultural retail customers to better meet their growth needs within pet food.

“Cargill’s vast resources and competency in sourcing of commodities, along with their reputation in the agricultural retail business sector, makes Cargill the natural and best partner for Pro-Pet,” said Jim Wiegmann, president and CEO of Pro-Pet. “There is no organization that can leverage the strengths and capabilities of Pro-Pet better than Cargill, which will enhance our ability to serve retail partners and pet food brand owners,” he added.