Pet treat supplier Sniffers Pet Care has secured an £850k investment from private equity backer Traditum to boost production at its Yorkshire factory.
Based near Halifax, the business provides natural pet treats for the likes of Pets at Home and Jollyes under its challenger brand NAW.
The range is made from 100% air-dried animal parts, which the company says would normally be wasted. It is now stocked by Ocado, as well as a range of independent and specialist retailers, with the brand due to be unveiled at Crufts later this month.
The subsequent funding comes after Traditum backed Sniffers with an initial £1.8m investment in 2022.
Sniffers has already experienced rapid growth, with a 40% year-on-year increase in turnover and 85% growth in the number of employees over the past year, bringing the number of employees to 37.
“The follow-on funding from Traditum is a real endorsement of our plan and the launch of our NAW brand last year,” said CEO Simon Brown.
“This will allow us to accelerate our growth in 2024 and make a real impact on the pet market with some exciting future launches.”
Sniffers added that it expects the investment to lead to an incremental increase of £3.3m in annual revenue.
Iain Marlow, head of investment for Traditum, said: “Following our investment in Sniffers in 2022, the business has successfully launched the NAW brand, expanded the senior management team and entered new distribution channels, delivering of transformation for business.
“We are delighted to be able to provide additional funding to the business to support continued growth in these exciting times for the business.”
The first round of funding allowed Sniffers to expand operations and scale manufacturing and distribution capabilities. It also invested in building its own IP by rebranding its natural dog treat brands, Buffalo and Walter Smith, to NAW, which stands for No Animal Wasted.
Senior leadership at the company also invested in the latest round, including CFO Peter Harrison and non-executive directors Tom and George Page. The brothers were appointed to the board in 2023 to provide marketing and operational expertise, based on their industry experience in the family business Inspired Pet Nutrition.
