Moderate pet food growth slows M&As

KANSAS CITY, MO. — Inflation, tariffs and regulatory shifts have cooled pet food mergers and acquisitions, but the industry’s momentum hasn’t stopped. Global pet food sales in 2025 are expected to reach $152.9 billion, a 4.2% increase year-over-year, according to Euromonitor International. Though the industry has slowed to a more moderate pace, its resiliency continues to attract investors.

Continue reading for our recap on the latest M&As from July to December 2025.

Manufacturers

“The acquisition of Pupil Foods is a natural extension of our growth strategy in Europe. Integrating Pupil Foods’ expertise in pet nutrition with Morliny Foods’ broad market reach will create significant value through vertical integration, operational synergies, and accelerated innovation,” said Luis Cerdan, chief executive officer of Morliny Foods.

On July 1, Animex Foods, Polish subsidiary of Morliny Foods, acquired Pupil Foods Ltd., a Polish wet and dry pet food manufacturer. The deal diversifies Morliny’s portfolio and strengthens its presence in the European pet food industry. Morliny will combine its market reach with Pupil’s expertise in pet nutrition.

Inspired Pet Nutrition (IPN) agreed to a deal to acquire European pet food platform Sorpal. Based in France, Sorpal manufacturers premium dry formulas and operates a 44,000-sqaure-foot manufacturing facility, which IPN will leverage to scale its growth throughout Europe. 

Later in August, IPN scooped up Ultra Premium Direct (UPD) from private equity Eurazeo. UPD is a French direct-to-consumer online pet food company specializing in premium products. Through this acquisition, IPN aims to create a major independent, international pet food platform in Europe with brands in both the United Kingdom and France, all of which will be supported by digital and manufacturing capabilities. 

Later in July, Archway Pet Food shared its plans to acquire plant-based pet treat company Bright Planet Pet. Through the acquisition, Bright Planet will continue to operate under its existing name and will leverage Archway’s operational infrastructure and distribution network. For Archway, the acquisition will help expand and diversify its product offerings, advancing its commitment to eco-friendly pet nutrition innovations. 

Stockholm-based The Nutriment Company (TNC) acquired UK-based raw cat food brand Purrform at the end of July. TNC’s will tap Purrform’s focus on feline nutrition to further ramp up its portfolio and deepen its customer base. 

Later, in October, TNC then snapped up Easy-BARF, a French raw pet food producer, marking its eighth acquisition of 2025. The deal also marks TNC’s foray into the French pet food market. Through the deal, TNC will help Easy-BARF expand its product portfolio, unlock new retail opportunities and increase accessibility. 

To end the year with a bang, TNC then acquired Dutch pet treat business Antos. Through the deal, TNC will use Antos’ logistics facility as its strategic hub for the Benelux (Belgium, Netherland and Luxemborg) region, providing the ability to scale, reach more customers and expand its presence. It also accelerates TNC’s position in the pet treat market. 

On July 28, VAFO Group announced its acquisition of AZAN, a Polish pet product distributor, advancing VAFO’s presence in Central and Eastern Europe. Since 2000, the companies have collaborated, with AZAN serving as a distributor for VAFO in the Polish market. Through the acquisition, VAFO will expand its direct distribution in Poland, while AZAN continues to build upon its expertise. 

In August, private equity Firelight Capital Partners, LLC scooped up Snif-Snax, a brand of limited-ingredient pet treats. As part of the deal, Kevin Fick joined Snif-Snax as chief executive officer and Jeff Sutherland joined as chief operations officer. Firelight plans to make significant investments in Snif-Snax, open a new distribution and manufacturing facility, and enhance its infrastructure.

“Foodynamics built tremendous trust by saying ‘yes’ when other co-packers said ‘no.’ By bringing that spirit under the Glacial Freeze Dry banner, backed by fresh investment and state-of-the-art technology, we’re giving customers the best of both worlds: the flexibility of a personalized partner and the resources of a full-scale manufacturer while keeping the commitment to quality,” said Blake Burwell, owner of Glacial Freeze Dry.

Family-owned contract manufacturer of premium, freeze-dried products Glacial Freeze Dry acquired Foodynamics, a freeze-dried co-manufacturer and co-packer in August. The acquisition combines Foodynamics’ expertise with Glacial Freeze Dry’s expanded capacity and resources, allowing both companies to deliver more adaptable co-manufacturing services in the freeze-dry market. Through the deal, Foodynamics will be integrated with Glacial Freeze Dry, with Sean Jones, founder of Foodynamics, serving as director of sales for Glacial Freeze Dry’s Wales location. 

Treat Planet, a pet treat platform under firm Inverness Graham, announced its acquisition of premium dog treat brand Bosco & Roxy’s. The deal is expected to expand Treat Planet’s product portfolio, add differentiated manufacturing capabilities and advance its position as a market leader in grab-and-go treats. 

Across the pond in Finland, the Snellman Group expanded by acquiring Benyfit Natural from Real Pet Food Company. The deal marks Snellman’s first in the United Kingdom, allowing the company to establish a direct presence in one of Europe’s most developed pet food markets. Through the acquisition, Benyfit Natural will continue to operate under its own name, with its employees transitioning to Snellman Petfood. 

Toward the end of the year, Vet Custom Label (VCL) acquired Myristol, a brand of joint support supplements for animals. Through the deal, VCL aims to expand Myristol’s reach while maintaining the integrity of its formulas. Gayle Trotter, DVM, founder of Myristol will continue on with Myrsitol in a consulting role, providing guidance on formulation, quality control and technical support.

Veterinary consumables and diagnostic company KVP international scooped up SafetPath-IVD, strengthening its position as a fast-growing provider of veterinary diagnostics while also expanding SafePath’s ability to scale. Through the acquisiton, SafePath will serve as KVP’s research, development and manufacturing partner. This, according to KVP, will help it accelerate innovation in the veterinary channel. 

Suppliers

On Aug. 18, Fortifi Food Processing Solutions reached an agreement to acquire Provisur Technologies in a move to offer complete, full-line food processing solutions. The acquisition is expected to help enhance Fortifi’s capabilities in protein processing, including grinding, forming, slicing and tumbling technologies. Upon completion of the deal, Provisur employees will join Fortifi. 

Kemin Industries strengthened its position in the US animal health market by acquiring Hennessy Research Associates, LLC. With the acquisition of Hennessy Research, Kemin will expand its portfolio to include contract vaccine research, development and manufacturing. Hennessy Research and its team of 50 scientists will operate in the Kemin network, specializing in veterinary biologicals as a contract research organization, contract development and manufacturing organization, and contract manufacturer.

Later, in September, Kemin then acquired enzymes and fermentation company CJ Youtell Biotech. The deal advances Kemin’s position as a global leader of enzymes in pet food, animal feed, food aquaculture and other industries. It includes CJ Youtell’s fermentation plants and its enzyme product portfolio. 

An affiliate of Balmoral Funds, LLC scooped up Wilbur-Ellis Nutrition, LLC from Wilbur-Ellis Holdings II, LLC. Moving forward, Wilbur-Ellis Nutrition will operate under the name Rangen. The transaction spans the entire Nutrition business of Wilbur-Ellis, including its Rangen, Ametza, Emmert, Oxy-Gon, Oxy-Gold and Oxy-Block product lines, as well as proprietary premixes, ingredient blends, sourcing services and all related sales, customer service and production processes. 

Food color supplier ROHA Group announced its acquisition of Brazilian natural color manufacturer Tebracc on Sept. 29. Through the acquisition, ROHA will leverage Tebracc’s expertise in annatto, providing the company with raw material security to enhance its global portfolio of natural pigments. Additionally, the deal will increase ROHA’s production capacity in Brazil. 

Corporate Project Services (CPS) and WEnger CARE merged to create 1 Solution Group. By pairing CPS’ engineering expertise with WEnger CARE’s equipment support services and training, the merger aims to create a seamless, full-spectrum approach to manufacturing projects, from concept and engineering to execution and equipment support. 

“This acquisition is a pivotal moment for Biochem, but more importantly, for feed and animal protein producers around the world. By integrating BASF’s glycinate business, we are bringing our sustainable and science-driven portfolio to an even larger global audience, empowering farmers to produce food more efficiently and sustainably,” said Alexander Grafe, chief executive officer of Biochem.

On Nov. 25, Biochem announced its intent to acquire BASF’s glycinate business. The acquisition is expected to reinforce Biochem’s leadership position in high-performance organic trace minerals, while also expanding its global presence. For BASF, the deal will help refine its portfolio of core ingredients for human and animal nutrition. The acquisition is set to be completed in the first quarter of 2026. 

In early December, ProMach shared it had acquired DFT Technology GmbH, expanding its capabilities in retort and sterilization. Through the acquisition, DFT and its employees will join ProMach’s Systems and Process division, which is led by Group President Ryan McCart. The Systems and Process business unit consists of 13 product brands, supplying a variety of process and conveyance solutions, as well as engineering services to consumer-packaged goods customers.

Darling Ingredients and Tessenderlo Group announced their intent to merge their collagen and gelatin businesses into a new company. The new company will merge Darling’s Rousselot business with Tessenderlo’s PB Leiner business, with Darling owning 85% stake and Tessenderlo owning 15% stake in the new company. The resulting company is expected to have annual revenue of $1.5 billion, with a total capacity of 200,000 metric tons of gelatin and collagen across 22 facilities throughout the globe. 

Retailers/distributors

Pet retail giant Chewy shared its acquisition of SmartPak Equine from Covetrus, Inc., at the end of October. The move will help Chewy strengthen its position in the equine category, while also accelerating its expansion into higher-margin health and wellness verticals. Chewy will combine its logistics, innovation and customer service with SmartEquine’s product portfolio and loyal customer base to reach equine customers.

In early November, Feeders Pet Supply acquired Pet Food Centers, furthering its growth and retail expansion. Through the acquisition, Feeders will take over five Pet Food Centers locations in Indiana and Tennessee. This marks the sixth acquisition for Feeders Pet Supply in the past nine years with the retailer having previously acquired Hound Pet Supplies, IncrediPet Store, Phydeaux, Ashland Pet and Soldan’s Pet Supplies.  

Across the pond, Musti Group acquired all shares of Zu, Produtos e Serviços para Animais, S.A., a pet retailer based in Portugal for about $15.03 million USD. The deal will expand Musti’s retail network to a total of 474 stores, 54 veterinary clinics and 196 pet spas across seven countries. 

Keep your finger on the pulse of M&A activity in the pet nutrition space here. Missed these M&A announcements? Sign up for our Operations newsletter to never miss an M&A update.