Premium treats for the European market

In 2002, industry expert and dog lover Wilfried Holthöwer, who had been involved in the pet food business for over 25 years, decided to establish the firm WH Pet Products.
Starting out from modest beginnings in a garage and working long hours, Holthöwer and his wife Antje, a trained ecotrophologist and thus a specialist in pet food, gradually built their small company up into a key supplier to the pet product trade. WH Pet Products now employs 25 people.
In 2004 the company moved into a 460 m2 plant in Nordhorn. However, rapid development in the next couple of years meant that further expansion soon became urgently necessary, and so two years ago new 1 300 m2 premises were acquired in Bad Bentheim. But the firm continued to grow quickly and in October 2006 a further new building, providing another 1 300 m2 of space, was erected on the existing site.
Low in fat – high in added value
What can this unusual company attribute its success to? “WH Pet Products has specialised from the outset in natural, healthy super-premium dog treats that are low in fat and high in added value,” explains sales manager Heiner Altenhöner. The products are suitable for both large and small dog breeds and offer the speciality trade a high margin.
The company stresses that all its treat products are manufactured efficiently and with care. WH Pet Products also guarantees its customers a high quality standard, as evidenced by its recently completed ISO 9.001: 2000 and HACCP certification.
One of the company’s specialities is its extensive selection of ostrich-meat products. Rollies, tendons and sinews, coins, nuggets and sausages are available, along with intestine, tripe and tubes, to give a few examples. Products manufactured from other less common raw materials, such as moose or venison, also feature in the firm’s range.
Its latest product and a highlight of its range is the mixed bag of tendons from Patagonian sheep, ostrich tendon and deer tendon. This latest innovation, developed especially for the speciality retail trade, is one of the types of unusual new products that WH Pet Products prides itself on being able to offer to the speciality trade on a regular basis at attractive prices. It also manufactures a so-called wild-animal plait from springbok or gnu. These products, made in South Africa, are hand-plaited and offer dogs long-lasting chewing pleasure.
The treats also render particularly good service in cleaning the dog’s teeth into the bargain. Heiner Altenhöner says: It’s the…