Amid rising demand for its offering, UK insect-based pet treat manufacturer Mr. Bug is preparing to launch two new products and plans to expand its manufacturing capacities later this year, according to a senior company representative.
Conal Cunningham, the company’s cofounder, said Petfoodindustriya.com with Mr Bug’s first product being mealworm-based Bug Bites dog treats, offered in four flavours.
“Only natural ingredients are used and the mealworm protein is bred on our farm in Devon,” says Cunningham. “We are the only company in the UK currently producing this, ensuring our products are of the highest quality. Not only is mealworm protein delicious, but it is a super healthy protein recommended by vets for dogs with food allergies and conditions.”
By 2024, the business aims to launch two new products: a Super Food Topper “designed to provide plenty of nutty mealworm protein seasoning at mealtime” and a full-range dried dog food “made with only natural ingredients and grain-free to provide an extremely healthy, hypoallergenic and sustainable food source for dogs,” Cunningham said.
The company supplies its output to around 70 independent pet shops in the UK which is its main market, but to Mr. Bug the founders are already making efforts to expand the international presence of the brand.
“Currently, we are sold abroad in Denmark and the Netherlands, and very much hope to expand this at the Interzoo trade show in Nuremberg where we have a stand next year,” said Cunningham.
Other business plans include investing in increasing its manufacturing capacities to facilitate further expansion.
“With sales growth and the need to lower production costs, we will be looking for investment to expand our premises later this year which we are very excited about,” he said.
Polish insect-based protein producer introduces wet pet food
Specializing in the production of insect-based protein, Polish company Ovad is entering the country’s pet food market with its own brand of wet dog food, Hello Yellow.
“For the past three years, we have been breeding mealworms, which produce, among other things, raw material for pet food,” Wojciech Zahaczewski, one of the company’s co-owners, told local news site Rzeczo.pl. “We are currently entering the market with our own wet food.”
In the first phase of brand development, Hello Yellow will be available in three flavors and sold in several pet food stores across Poland, according to data from Ovad.
Starting in 2021, the Polish business operates its production facility in Olsztyn, in the north-eastern part of the country.
Spanish Affinity Petcare secures state aid for investment in French factory
Spanish pet food producer Affinity Petcare, a branch of Agrolimen SA, has secured a total of €300,000 (US$324,000) from several French state and local government authorities to finance its expansion project of the factory in La Chapelle-Vendômoise, in France’s Centre-Val de Loire region. To boost manufacturing, the company has earmarked €5 million ($5.4 million) for the project.
Through the investment, Affinity Petcare plans to expand the plant’s manufacturing capacities by more than 20% by 2027, local daily La Nouvelle Republique reported. Last year, the French facility increased its production by 18%, reaching an output of approximately 120,000 tons of pet food.
The pet food company’s brands include Advance, Ultima, Brekkies and Libra. In addition to its headquarters in Barcelona, Spain, Affinity Petcare operates offices in Paris, Milan, Snetterton in the UK, and São Paulo in Brazil. The business sells its products in more than 20 countries around the world.
