From niche segment to success story

There's a new success story in the pet supplies sector. Grain-free pet food for dogs has developed in the space of a few years from a niche segment to a real hit with consumers. "Sales of grain-free pet foods continue to show strong growth both in terms of customer interest and market share," states Warren Hill, vice-president of Midwestern Pet Foods. "We don't know of another market segment which is hotter than grain-free is today." This view is shared by Matthew Golladay, vice-president of Blackwood Pet Food: "Sales are growing and have been consistently since grain-free became well known. One of the biggest changes here is the decrease in protein levels from the first diets that hit the market."Wider range on offerThe growing popularity of these former niche products among customers has also spawned a wider range of products, according to Jaimie Turkington, marketing manager at the Canadian company Petcurean Pet Nutrition. "Consumer demand for grain-free products continues to grow and resulting product offerings in the category are continually expanding." How does he explain the steadily growing demand in this product segment? "The consumer demand is being driven by a perception of superior quality and a growing number of pet food allergies," says Turkington. Heather Govea, senior vice-president of Independent Sales & Corporate Marketing at Natural Balance Pet Foods, also points to the changes in the lifestyle of consumers as a reason for the success of grain-free products. "As people are becoming more aware of their own dietary needs to live healthier lives, they are also becoming increasingly concerned about the quality of their pet's food. Not only do people want better nutrition for themselves, but they want the same for their animals. As the demand for healthy pet food grows, more grain-free pro­ducts are appearing on the shelves."Customers demand qualityThe danger that the increasing demand and the burgeoning variety of products resulting from this will be detrimental to the quality of the individual products is regarded as low by industry representatives. "Grain-free products are mostly to be found in the premium and super-premium segment, as alternative sources of carbohydrate, such as potatoes, can only be purchased at a higher cost," says Georg Müller, managing director of the German firm Interquell. "In addition, high-grade proteins are mainly used. This means that grain-free products, as far as I know, are predominantly of a high…