Rusty Hawes Joins CANOPHERA as VP of Business Strategy

CANOPHERA has added Rusty Hawes its team in the role of Vice President of Business Strategy.

Hawes joins the CANOPHERA team with more than 23 years of experience in management, sales, marketing, manufacturing, logistics and distribution throughout varied CPG industries such as pet foods (fresh and dry), cleaning supplies, cutlery and more.

In his role as Vice President of Business Strategy for CANOPHERA, Hawes will expand upon CANOPHERA and offer a great level of distribution support, serving the company’s growing number of distributors and independent pet retailers across the US.

Launching with “The Original” all-natural wood CANOPHERA Wood Chews, sustainably made from caffeine-free coffee wood, the company is launching new categories of products at Global Pet Expo 2025 (Booth #1858) to offer a more innovative and sustainably sourced chew product such as CocoToys for dogs and cat toys, alongside their other successful chew lines: Briar Roots, Coffee+Coco, Grade-A Antlers and Sheep Horns.

Hawes said, “I am eager to utilize my experience and relationships to help make the CANOPHERA brand a household name to pet parents and retailers alike, from the Western USA to across the globe. Awareness is key because every pup deserves to be treated to one of our chews to help provide entertainment and health benefits.”

Rob Johnson, President of CANOPHERA, adds, “Rusty is a dynamic addition to our US sales team to help strengthen relationships with retailers and distributors about CANOPHERA and provide an exceptional level of customer service and attention. We want all our customers to learn about the benefits and feel confident in giving CANOPHERA products to pets because of our unwavering global commitment to quality, sustainability, safety, health and fun.”

From its initial launch in 2012, CANOPHERA went from a small company to Europe’s leading producer and distributor of natural wood dog chews and now supplies these wood chews to almost 26 countries around the world.