Dave’s Pet Food Rolls Out New Branding During National Pet Wellness Month

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Press release: Dave’s Pet Food

Dave’s Pet Food, LLC, a family-owned, affordably priced premium pet food company, recently launched its first major rebrand in the company’s 22-year history. The company’s comprehensive efforts in October were timed to align with National Pet Wellness Month, when the industry is focused on promoting the health and wellness of all pets. The rebrand includes everything from new logo and label designs to a new website and exciting product innovations, including treats. This refresh comes at a time when pet parents understand the value of feeding their pets premium, natural products, but also when more of us are experiencing the pain of paying more for just about everything.

“For many pet owners, premium means pricey. After being a retailer for many, many years and knowing what was available on shelf, I decided to challenge that convention. From the start, my vision for Dave’s Pet Food was to make the best, most delicious and nutritious pet food possible and offer it at a price that wouldn’t break the monthly budget. I firmly believe you can, and should, have both available to you as an owner. They shouldn’t be mutually exclusive,” said Dave Ratner, CEO and founder of Dave’s Pet Food. “This rebrand comes at a time when being able to afford nutritious food that will keep your pet healthy and happy could be a deal-breaker when it comes time to welcome a pet into the family. We’re living in a time when more than 6 million pets enter shelters, looking to be adopted (1). If the price and the quality of our food can tip the decision to move forward with adoption, that’s what keeps us motivated to offer products that are inclusive rather than exclusive.”

The last few years have been both exciting and daunting for the pet food industry as it is experiencing a period of both growth and challenge. One of the biggest barriers of the current landscape is price increases. Pet food prices climbed in 2022, experiencing the largest jump in the past five years. These prices were added on to the already higher 2021 prices (2). This comes at a time when pet owners are looking for brands that deliver premium formulas, which makes an affordably priced premium brand, like Dave’s, well-positioned on the shelf.

“I see so much potential for Dave’s Pet Food because of what I hear directly from customers in the store. They aren’t willing to compromise when it comes to quality, but they’re faced with the reality of sticker shock when they look at some of the more well-known premium brands,” Dave continued. “I want to eliminate that moment of ‘should I?’ or ‘shouldn’t I?’ when it comes time to putting product into their shopping cart—virtual or in-store. With Dave’s, premium is right-priced.”

Customers got their first glimpse of the new Dave’s Pet Food logo when the completely redesigned and, for the first time — soon-to-be shoppable — website launched late in October. The logo will begin to roll out on a variety of SKUs including dry, canned, and a variety of new semi-moist and freeze-dried therapeutic treats. Consumers can expect to see new label designs for 95% Meat, Limited Ingredient formulas, Naturally Healthy formulas, and Stewlicious on shelf and online throughout 2024. The website was designed with a flexible “special features” section, which will help guide and educate buyers on the label changes.

“These are big changes for the brand. I wish I could get them all on shelf today, that’s how excited I am about sharing our new look with both retailers and pet owners,” Dave said. “I went into this project thinking evolution, but in many cases, like the 95% Meat label, it’s a full-on revolution. Though the packaging is for pets, I see the design direction as very human. It feels like it comes from a small, involved, caring company instead of a big, faceless, corporate brand. It’s very Dave.”

1 2023, The Zebra

2 2023, Nielson Consumer LLC