Pro Pet shakes up the market

Pro Pet Koller Markenvertrieb, to give the company its full title, was established on 1 April 1993 by Werner Koller as an importer of North American super-premium pet food products. Koller had previously worked in various departments of the former pet food manufacturer Quaker Latz, now Nestlé Purina PetCare, which produced known brands such as Bonzo and Felix. While at Quaker Latz and following an initial period working in distribution for the grocery retail arm, he took charge of distribution via the speciality trade and played a key role in shaping the marketing for various pet product brands in Europe. The knowledge that Koller acquired during his tenure benefited him substantially as managing director of his own company. 

Selling the North American pet food products brought Koller into close contact with the German and European husky scene. Here he also discovered the need for a meat product that would make it easier for mushers to "water" their dogs before each race. Together with a former colleague at Quaker Latz, he developed moist food products based on meat, innards and rice or on fish, fish by-products and rice under the names Pro Power and Pro Active. These brands were later renamed to the brand now known as Mac's. Over time, the product portfolio of moist food products under the Mac's brand has changed to tins of pure meat for dogs and cats with various fruit and vegetable varieties. The ranges Mac's Soft, a semi-moist dog food with a high fresh meat content, and Mac's Mono, a dry food containing only one source of protein and carbohydrate for dogs with sensitive digestive systems, were introduced at Interzoo 2012. Due to problems with imports, the distribution of foreign brands ceased and the company developed its own dry food line for dogs and cats under the Mac's brand. As the trend towards grain-free products containing an ever greater proportion of meat along with functional and natural ingredients grew during the last few years, Pro Pet conceived the Tundra brand and launched it at Interzoo 2014.     

Pro Pet's pet food brands have not only recorded considerable progress at home; the export quota now accounts for nearly 30 per cent of overall sales. The company currently exports to twelve countries. Its most important country markets include neighbouring Austria and Switzerland, along with Spain, Greece, the Baltic states and Scandinavia.