Arbor Investments is a leading private equity firm that focuses on investing in the pet industry. It has invested in many major pet food and product companies such as Canidae, Inspired Pet Nutrition, Instinct, JustFoodForDogs, Lily’s Kitchen, Old Mother Hubbard, Petlove, Purina, Rachael Ray Nutrish, etc. Recently, Arbor sold one of its portfolio companies, Red Collar Pet Foods, to Nestle Purina. The pet food giant acquired Red Collar’s production facility in Miami, Oklahoma to expand its pet treat capacity. This highlights Arbor’s success and expertise in the pet investment space.
Arbor Has Invested in Many Leading Pet Companies Over the Years
Arbor Investments has developed an impressive portfolio of investments in the pet industry over the years. Some of its past and current pet investment holdings beyond Red Collar include:
– Canidae Pet Foods – A producer of premium pet foods. Arbor invested in Canidae in 2018 to help accelerate its growth.
– Inspired Pet Nutrition – Maker of premium and veterinary pet diets. Arbor initially invested in the company in 2019.
– Instinct Pet Food – A leading producer of raw and natural frozen and freeze-dried pet foods. Arbor made a significant investment in Instinct in 2014.
– JustFoodForDogs – A fresh pet food company with kitchens for making custom diets. Arbor invested over $68 million into JustFoodForDogs in 2018.
– Lily’s Kitchen – A UK-based producer of natural wet and dry pet foods. Arbor helped lead a $10 million Series B funding round for Lily’s Kitchen in 2016.
– Old Mother Hubbard – A 90-year old pet treat brand. Arbor acquired Old Mother Hubbard in 2016 to expand its treat portfolio.
So through strategic investments and acquisitions, Arbor Investments has amassed market-leading pet companies covering different product categories and positioning itself as a major force in pet private equity.
Arbor’s Pet Food Investments Show Impressive Growth Trajectory
An analysis of Arbor’s investments in pet food companies reflects an impressive growth trajectory within its portfolio. For example:
– Canidae grew over 50% and expanded into the veterinary channel after Arbor’s 2018 investment. This growth helped Canidae receive additional investor funding in 2022.
– Inspired Pet Nutrition saw its revenue grow over 40% in 2020 after Arbor initially backed the company. Its products are now sold in over 5,000 stores.
– JustFoodForDogs has opened over 100 kitchens across the U.S. since Arbor’s 2018 capital infusion. Its fresh pet food is now served to over 500 veterinary hospitals and clinics.
– Lily’s Kitchen has launched products into several major retailers and seen high double-digit annual growth since Arbor’s 2016 funding contribution.
– Nestle Purina specifically cited Red Collar’s production capacity and food safety commitment as reasons for the acquisition that followed Arbor’s investment.
Based on these results, Arbor Investments has shown the ability to drive impressive growth at its pet portfolio companies through value-added capital, strategic relationships, and operating expertise. This makes the firm a sought-after investor in the industry.
Arbor Investments Poised for Continued Pet Sector Success
In August 2022, Arbor Investments announced a $235 million investment to build a new 235,000 square-foot production facility for subsidiary Carnivore Meat Company, which supplies pet food ingredients. This investment expands production capacity by over 50% to meet rising global demand for freeze-dried pet products.
Additionally, with increasing consumer spending and innovation occurring in pet retail, software, services, and technology – Arbor is well positioned to capitalize on emerging opportunities. The firm recently added two Managing Directors to its leadership team with deep domain expertise in the pet industry including digital transformation.
Given Arbor Investments’ proven performance driving market leaders in pet food such as Red Collar, lily’s Kitchen and Canidae to rapid growth – and its continued investments in production capacity and digital pet capabilities – the firm is poised for continued success investing across the high growth pet care sector.
In summary, Arbor Investments has established an impressive track record of successful investments in leading pet food, treat, and product companies such as Red Collar, Canidae, Inspired Pet Nutrition, JustFoodForDogs and others. It has driven strong growth and expansion at its portfolio companies through operating expertise and strategic capital support. With the pet market seeing ongoing innovation and increasing consumer spending, Arbor Investments is primed for continued success investing across the industry going forward.