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Pet Age Staff//August 11, 2026//
Pet Age Staff//August 11, 2026//
Identity Pet Nutrition today announced its debut on the 2026 Inc. 5000, ranking No. 3,237 nationally among the fastest-growing private companies in America.
In addition to its national ranking, Identity Pet Nutrition was ranked:
The recognition marks a major milestone for a company that began in 2018 after its two founders lost their jobs when the pet food company where they worked went out of business. Rather than leave the industry, they decided to invest their life savings in themselves and launch Identity Pet Nutrition from the living room of their Denver, Colorado condominium. Their vision was to build the kind of pet food company they believed pet parents deserved — one centered on transparency, ingredient integrity, exceptional nutrition, and long-term thinking.
Eight years later, Identity Pet Nutrition has grown into one of America’s fastest-growing private companies.
Unlike many high-growth consumer brands, Identity Pet Nutrition remains 100% owned by its two founders, Jeremy and Trevar Petersen, and has achieved its growth without venture capital, private equity, or outside investors. The company has funded its expansion through its own operations, allowing its founders to retain complete control over its products, values, and long-term direction. That independence has allowed the company to make decisions based on what it believes is best for pets and customers, rather than the short-term expectations of outside shareholders. The founders’ goal is to build Identity into a generational company — an enduring, independently owned brand designed to serve pets and their families for decades. At a time when many emerging pet food companies are built around raising outside capital, pursuing rapid consolidation, or positioning for an eventual sale, Identity is being built for long-term ownership and stewardship.
“Making the Inc. 5000 is an extraordinary milestone for our company because it represents far more than revenue growth,” said Jeremy J. Petersen, Founder, President and CEO of Identity Pet Nutrition. “It represents the trust thousands of pet parents have placed in us and proves that an independent, founder-owned company can compete in an industry dominated by some of the largest consumer products companies in the world.”
Identity Pet Nutrition specializes in premium canned and fresh-frozen gently cooked foods for dogs and cats. Its recipes emphasize high meat content, limited ingredients, single-animal-protein options, and responsibly sourced human-grade ingredients. The company develops its products around a commitment to clean recipes, nutritional integrity, and greater transparency throughout the pet food supply chain.
“We did not set out to build one of America’s fastest-growing companies,” Petersen said. “We set out to build a better pet food company—one that would challenge conventional industry practices and place exceptional nutrition, ingredient quality, greater transparency, pets, and customers ahead of short-term financial objectives.”
The company’s independence has allowed it to make long-term investments in ingredient quality, product development, responsible sourcing, and customer education without pressure from outside shareholders.
Identity Pet Nutrition’s growth also reflects increasing consumer demand for high-meat nutrition, limited-ingredient and single-protein recipes, cleaner labels, and greater accountability from pet food companies.
Although the company’s growth would have made it eligible for consideration in earlier years, its small team remained focused on managing rapid expansion and strengthening the financial reporting and certification infrastructure required for participation. With that process complete, Identity Pet Nutrition is proud to join the 2026 Inc. 5000.
“For several years, we were growing so quickly with such a lean team that nearly all of our attention was focused on serving customers, producing inventory, and building the infrastructure necessary to support the business,” Petersen said. “This is our first year on the list, but it represents years of disciplined work by a remarkably small group of people.”
The company was previously recognized by Inc. as the No. 41 fastest-growing company in the Rocky Mountain region, making its first appearance on the national Inc. 5000 another significant step in its growth.
“This accomplishment belongs to our team, our manufacturing and distribution partners, our retailers, and especially the pet parents who believed in what we were building,” Petersen added. “We are proud of how far Identity has come, but we believe the company’s most important growth and innovation are still ahead of us.”
