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Swedish petcare brand Petbuddy Group (PBG) has acquired Little BigPaw from the First Class Pet Company in a new venture.
The Swedish investor-backed business Petbuddy Group is a group of sustainable direct-to-consumer pet care brands, launched in 2018. They have acquired many premium, international pet brands, including Buddy (a pet food and supplement brand), Nutrolin (a company that makes science-based supplements), WAP Dog Care, and MediPaws (an all-natural supplement brand). Its goal is to become a leader in premium and sustainable pet food throughout Europe, doing so with mergers, acquisitions, and organic growth.
Their focus is on growing petcare companies globally, helping them enter new markets using the right platforms. The company also has a big commitment to sustainability, aiming to be climate neutral by 2025. Currently, they are working towards this through climate compensating, sponsoring animal shelters, and using recyclable plastics. They own the entire value chain from factory to consumer and can therefore control the quality, and keep margins healthy. This will be their fourth acquisition in 18 months.
Founded in 2011, Little BigPaw creates a range of grain-free and hypoallergenic wet and dry dog food and cat food formulas. Little BigPaw exports its products to more than 45 countries and is currently based in Worcestershire, UK. The priority of the company was to create premium, nutritious, and natural dog and cat food with a wider flavour range.
They hand-selected only the best, locally sourced ingredients, and took expert advice to develop their range, and in 2018, they were awarded the Queen’s Award for International Trade in recognition of outstanding growth in overseas sales – one of the youngest companies to do so. The ingredients used in Little BigPaw are made totally grain-free to cater to pet allergies and use single-source meats to be Better suited to pets’ natural digestive systems. As well as locally sourced meat and vegetables, botanical herbs, oils, and conditioners are used, each with its own nutritional health benefits.
The acquisition will allow for simpler access of Little BigPaw products to the EU, and the co-founders will remain within the company. The plan for Little BigPaw is to move onto the next stage of growth, with the potential to be a global pet food brand due to their design for export strategy & premium positioning.
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