Bringing Premium Pet Food to Consumers

Key Takeaways

Quality Consciousness

The European and U.S. pet food markets share some trends including consumers’ growing focus on the quality of their pet’s food. “We have new trends in Europe following the U.S. – trends such as grain-free… and the transparency of the formulas of the recipes,” said Wincker. That trend, however, is evolving in the current economic environment. As Wincker explains, “recently, with inflation, we have a question of quality-price ratio that has taken a [larger] place” compared to the sole focus of quality, premium ingredients.

DTC Brands are Changing the Market

As a digitally native brand, UPD has benefited from growth in e-Commerce, particularly via their subscription model. “The difference between the lifetime value between our subscription customers and non-subscription customers is about four times,” Wincker shared. UPD’s approach has “allowed us to gain more than 200,000 customers these last nine years,” he said. “This channel is making things move.”

Innovation is Key

Wincker affirmed quality and transparency in recipes and fresh ingredients are key to success in the pet food category – but innovation is even more important. “As an example, Ultra Premium Direct [was] one of the first brands to launch in new grain-free product recipes in 2014,” he said. Since the launch, the company has evolved the recipe at least three times to increase quality and freshness, as well as switch to recyclable packaging.  

What About Brick-and-Mortar?

UPD sees potential in brick-and-mortar for pet food – so much so, the Company has opened its own retail chain. Despite the complexities of opening stores across Europe, Winckler is optimistic about the category for UPD: “We have opened up to now seven stores, and [we’re planning] to open about 10 stores a year in the years to come.”