Cloud Star and Tiki Brands Merge

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Cloud Star is merging with the Tiki brands of Petropics Gourmet Whole Foods.

The combined companies will now operate under the name Whitebridge Pet Brands (WPB) and will be led by CEO Olivier Amice, who joined Cloud Star in July 2014.

Founded in 2005 by Christine and Robert Hackett, Petropics markets cat and dog gourmet whole food under the Tiki Cat and Tiki Dog brands. Created to mirror the nutrient profile of natural prey, Tiki features grain-free, human-grade, whole, shredded or sliced meats and seafood.

“Since our inception, our company has pioneered the new gourmet whole-food category,” said Christine Hackett. “Tiki has seen phenomenal growth thanks to the support of independent pet specialty retailers and distributors. We know that Tiki’s best days are still ahead, and we feel a merger with the Cloud Star team is the best way for the Tiki brands to reach their full potential.”

“I am very excited that Cloud Star and Tiki are merging,” said Amice. “The two companies share the same passion for providing natural, wholesome and minimally processed nutrition to dogs and cats, but they also share the same culture of always trying to do the right thing for pets, customers and their team members. Merging the two companies will allow us to leverage our combined structure to better service our distributors and retailers.”

WPB’s portfolio will include Tiki Cat, Tiki Dog, Cloud Star, Buddy Biscuits and Wag More Bark Less. All brands will continue with their “pet first” philosophy and each brand will keep its own identity, purpose and channel strategy. In addition to Olivier Amice, the company recently added several executive positions to support WPB’s growth: Matt Davis (sales VP), Jessika Zulic (marketing director), Scott Loudenback (operations VP), Mary Czapeczka (CFO).

The founders of Cloud Star and Petropics will continue to advise the Whitebridge Pet Brands management team and will remain shareholders.