Comprehensive range from one source

The company, which is based in Stockholm, Sweden, started life in 2014 as Voff Premium Pet Food. Last year, the company, which now also has a German subsidiary in Düsseldorf, was renamed The Nutriment Company (TNC).

From the outset, the focus has been on the Barf sector. This now accounts for 60 per cent of total sales. Snacks and nutritional supplements for dogs and cats have become another focus of the range. What all these product areas have in common is that for a long time they were highly fragmented and mostly covered by small and medium-sized companies.

Voff and TNC have done a great deal in recent years to consolidate these market segments. Through numerous acquisitions of selected specialists, the company has not only built up an extensive brand portfolio, but has also acquired several production facilities in its main markets of Germany, Benelux, the Nordic countries and the UK. In 2022, the Nordic investment company Axcel acquired the company from the previous owner Systematic Growth. A year later, Anders Kristiansen replaced Marten Bernow as Voff’s managing director. Kristiansen had previously held senior positions at a number of consumer goods companies, most recently as CEO of global fashion brand Esprit.

Since then, the Swedish company has stepped up the pace of its expansion. CEO Kristiansen and Managing Director Germany Julius Adrian have set themselves the primary goal of developing TNC into an efficient and modern provider of naturally produced premium pet food, offering its European retail partners a comprehensive range from a single source through centralised logistics solutions. The company continues to invest in the expansion of its manufacturing sites and aims to strengthen collaboration between them. It also aims to create a strong and dense network of product experts to capitalise on the strong growth potential in Europe and to drive the market with targeted innovation. As consumer habits vary greatly from one European market to another, the company group is working on individual solutions for each country. Another current focus is the consolidation of the Barf range. In the future, production processes and standards will also be improved, as demonstrated by the IFS certification of some TNC sites. The three core brands Dibo, Nutrimen’ and Barf-gold cover all price levels from entry level to premium. Aniforte is the central brand for all natural food supplements.

The acquisition of BAF Petfood, announced in mid-March, is TNC’s fourth this year. BAF Petfood claims to be the first Barf factory in Germany and operates a pet food factory with over 9 000 m² of production and storage space. The company has established itself as a supplier to Fressnapf franchise partners throughout Germany.

The acquisition will enable TNC to expand its product range to include steamed sausages and gently cooked frozen products, while also giving it access to the Fressnapf retail network. In return, Fressnapf franchise partners will have access to TNC’s entire brand portfolio through a shared frozen food logistics centre.This will ensure greater availability of high quality, natural pet food products. TNC sees the acquisition as a milestone for the group, which has grown in just a few years to become Europe’s leading supplier of premium natural pet food.

“We now have the capability to produce all product types and formats, enabling us to offer a true one-stop-shop to Fressnapf and our many other valued customers across the continent,” says CEO Kristiansen. Torsten Toeller, CEO, founder and majority shareholder of Fressnapf, is also looking forward to a stronger partnership with the Swedish company in the future: “Together with TNC, we will continue to drive new trends such as Barf and gently cooked fresh pet food.”

Another of TNC’s objectives is to lay the foundations for entry into other European markets. The company is targeting France, Poland, Italy and Spain, where raw diets are not yet well established in the pet food market. The acquisition of Spanish company Puromenu, announced in early February, is an important step in this direction. Puromenu is one of Spain’s leading manufacturers of raw meat products for dogs and cats. It was founded in 2014 by Magda Kayali and Raul Zamorano. According to TNC, the company has grown rapidly in recent years due to its product range, which includes gently cooked fresh meat, raw patés and sausages, as well as snacks, chews and supplements for dogs and cats. According to TNC, the range also stands out for its use of plant-based ferments and probiotics to improve digestibility and palatability, setting a new standard in pet food. Each Puromenu product is made from 100 per cent natural ingredients and meets the nutritional standards of the National Research Council (NRC). TNC intends to expand the Puromenu range and use existing structures to distribute other TNC brands such as Nutriment, Dibo and Aniforte. The aim is to give retailers access to other products from TNC’s extensive range with a single delivery.

“Developing Barf products for cats is not currently a priority for the group. At the moment, 98 per cent of our Barf products are for dogs – and there is still huge potential for growth, both in terms of product innovation and geographical expansion. As cats have different food preferences to dogs, we would have to create completely different product formats to be successful,” explains Kristiansen. “This is not an issue at the moment. If we are going to tackle the cat issue, we want to do it right.”