Natural Balance, Canidae Join Forces Under Ethos Pet Brands

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Press release: Ethos Pet Brands

Ethos Pet Brands, the new parent company created by the merger of industry-leading brands Natural Balance Pet Foods, Inc., and Canidae Pet Food Company, was recently unveiled. The combination will leverage both companies’ shared passion for improving the well-being and lives of pets through simple nutrition, responsibly sourced ingredients and protein-rich products.

“Ethos,” the original and long-standing name of Canidae’s manufacturing facility in Brownwood, Texas, reflects both companies’ character, honesty and integrity while representing their commitment to providing high-quality nutrition and premium ingredients.

Natural Balance, known for its Limited Ingredient recipes and Original Ultra product lines for dogs and cats, and Canidae’s Pure, Goodness and All Life Stages products developed for dogs and cats of all ages, offer complementary yet differentiated comprehensive food solutions sold through the pet specialty, independent and ecommerce channels. The state-of-the-art Brownwood facility, opened in 2012, will now manufacture products for both brands.

“Ethos Pet Brands marks the collaboration between two exceptional companies recognized for their best-in-class offerings for pet parents and their beloved pets,” said Greg Shearson, chairman of the board, Ethos Pet Brands. “The Ethos Pet Brands leadership team was thoughtfully assembled and represents deep experience in the pet specialty space. I am confident they will build upon this strong foundation and guide this new company into a promising future.”

Natural Balance and Canidae first announced plans to merge in March 2023. Natural Balance has a 30-year history of developing premium products with high-quality, protein-forward ingredients spanning dog food, cat food, and treats. For the past 25 years, Canidae has offered dog and cat food products focusing on goodness for pets and the planet through regenerative agriculture and sustainable operations.

As part of the transaction, L Catterton, a leading global consumer-focused investment firm and majority shareholder of Canidae, and Nexus Capital Management, an alternative asset investment company and majority shareholder of Natural Balance, each contributed new growth capital to support the successful integration and strategic long-term expansion of the combined company.

L Catterton is a market-leading consumer-focused investment firm, managing approximately $34 billion of capital and three multi-product platforms: private equity, credit and real estate. Leveraging deep category insight, operational excellence, and a broad network of strategic relationships, L Catterton’s team of more than 200 investment and operating professionals across 17 offices partners with management teams to drive differentiated value creation across its portfolio. Founded in 1989, the firm has made over 250 investments in some of the world’s most iconic consumer brands.

Nexus is an alternative asset investment management company based in Los Angeles, California that was founded in 2013. Nexus employs a flexible investment mandate that focuses on long-term value creation by partnering with leading management teams and businesses across the consumer, education, business services and industrials sectors.