Monge: Moving into the dry pet food sector

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Monge intends to launch a super-premium line comprising 32 products for dogs and cats before the year is out, thus entering into competition with the leading pet food manufacturers.This year Monge marks its 45th anniversary. During this time the company has become a leading manufacturer of moist food for dogs and cats. Monge points out that it offers the widest range of moist pet food for the pet product trade: “The majority of the latest investment is dedicated to the specialised channel: exclusive representatives assign-ed to retailers and a catalogue reserved for specialist shops only.” In addition to this commitment, Monge invested a lot last year in advertising campaigns on TV, radio and in the press and mail.
HistorySince the company was founded in 1963, Monge has supported growth through investment in research and technology. Monge says that in 1975 it was the first Italian company to offer easy-open cans. Thanks to this innovation, the brands “Monge”, “Lechat” and “Special Dog” were presented to several new customers. In 1994, Monge introduced a new oven-cooking technique which made it possible to cook meat to provide a high-quality product that could also be chewed easily. In 1997 it inaugurated a new national logistics area, and in 2004 it opened one of the most modern plants in Europe for moist pet food. The Italian pet food manufacturer exports its products to 33 countries. The most prominent among these are Japan, Israel, Greece and Germany. Exports account for approx. 20 per cent of overall sales. Last year Monge srl became Monge spa. The company's new plant is located in Monasterolo di Savigliano, in premises covering 95 000 m2. Of this area, 44 000 m2 are dedicated to the production of all moist food categories available on the market: single-serve 85 g cans, trays of 100, 150, 200 and 300 g and 1.2 kg maxi cans for dogs. Thanks to recent investment, the company produces over 1.4 mio cans per day. In 2007 Monge produced over 53 mio cans and tray patés (85 g), equivalent to an increase of over 12 per cent compared with the previous year. The Monge plant features high technology: continuous sterilisation with a Stork tower, in order to maintain a high quality level and constant industrial parameters, and three maxi ovens for morsels and nibbles. According to Monge, all products of the company are cruelty free, from the economy lines “Simba” and “Art” up to super-premium products like…