Nestlé Purina PetCare
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Nestlé Purina Petcare's Headquarters | |
Subsidiary | |
Industry | Pet food |
Predecessors | Friskies PetCare Company, Carnation Company |
Founded | 1894 | (as Robinson-Danforth Commission Company)
Headquarters | St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | William H. Danforth, Founder |
Products | Dog food, cat food, animal health products, pet snacks, cat and dog litter |
Revenue | $11.2 billion (2013)[1] |
Owner | Nestlé S.A. |
Website | www.purina.com |
Nestlé Purina Petcare is a St. Louis, Missouri-based subsidiary of Nestlé. It produces and markets pet food, treats and litter. Some of its pet food brands include Purina Pro Plan, Purina Dog Chow, Friskies, Beneful and Purina ONE. The company was formed in 2001 by combining Ralston Purina, which was acquired by Nestlé for $10.3 billion, with Nestlé's Friskies Petcare Company. As consumers became willing to spend more money on their pets, the company grew. As of 2012, it is the second-largest pet food company globally and the largest in the United States.
In 2007, Nestle Purina voluntarily recalled some of its products after a widespread contamination was discovered in the pet food industry, due to ingredients from China. The company has been recognized for sustainability practices in its manufacturing and sponsors many pet-related charities and events. It markets its pet food through crowd-sourced competitions, sponsorship, mobile apps, and television advertising.
Corporate history
Origins
Nestlé Purina Petcare was formed in December 2001, when Nestlé acquired Ralston Purina for $10.3 billion and merged it with Nestlé's pet food business, Friskies PetCare Company.[2] Ralston, which started as a horse-feed business in 1894,[2] had marketed the Dog Chow, Cat Chow and Pro Plan pet food brands, while Nestlé produced Friskies and Alpo brand pet foods.[3]
The merger was opposed by consumer advocates, such as the Consumer Federation of America, due to anti-trust concerns.[3] The two companies combined would become the largest pet food brand by market-share with a 45 percent share of the cat food market. The Federal Trade Commission approved the merger after the Meow Mix and Alley Cat brands from Ralston were sold to J.W. Childs Equity Partners,[3] creating the separate Meow Mix Company.[4] Ralston's St. Louis, Missouri location was chosen as the new company's North America headquarters.[2]
Early history
Nestlé Purina Petcare continued integrating the two companies through 2002.[5] It cut back dry dog food manufacturing at facilities inherited from Friskies PetCare Company in Jefferson, Missouri, St. Joseph, Missouri and Arden Hills, Minnesota, then moved those operations to manufacturing facilities acquired from Ralston.[6][7] Expanded manufacturing facilities were planned in Dunkirk, New York[8] and the St. Joseph location was later expanded for wet-food production.[9] In Asia it shifted from a "dealer system" to managing its own distribution.[10] In 2004 Nestlé Purina merged its North American and Latin America operations into a Nestlé Purina PetCare Americas division.[11]
In 2003, Nestlé Purina Petcare formed a partnership with the Canine Health Foundation to advance veterinary research.[12] The following year the company donated 80 tons of pet food to pets affected by Hurricane Charley in Florida and donated $100,000 to local animal shelters.[13] Nestlé Purina Petcare grew from about 11 percent of Nestlé's revenues in 2001, to one-third by 2005.[14] By 2006 it was the largest market-share holder in the pet food industry with 32 percent of the market.[15]
In 2005, Nestlé Purina Petcare voluntarily recalled all of its dry pet food produced from a plant in La Encrucijada, Venezuela after an internal investigation verified contaminants that were causing illnesses in pets.[14] According to Fortune Magazine, in 2007 the pet food market "plunged into turmoil" due to the widespread discovery of contaminated ingredients.[16] During this period, Nestle Purina voluntarily recalled some of its Alpo Prime Cuts in Gravy product[17][18] in the US that contained wheat gluten from China contaminated with melamine.[19]
Recent history
By 2009, Purina was one of Nestlé's fastest growing divisions, due to an increasing willingness by consumers to spend more money on petcare.[20] In 2008, it formed a separate company called PurinaCare with headquarters in San Antonio, Texas that sold pet insurance.[21] PetCare was later acquired by Pethealth Inc. in 2013.[22] By 2009 Purina had also introduced pet litter products and built new manufacturing facilities in Russia and Thailand.[20] Its Colorado plant built the largest privately owned solar panel system in the state.[23] In September 2010, Nestlé reached an agreement to acquire Waggin' Train, a producer of pet treats with $200 million in annual revenues.[24][25]
In August 2013 Purina recalled some of its Purina ONE Beyond dog food, because of one bag that was found to contain salmonella.[26] In 2012 a consumer sued Nestlé Purina Petcare when his pet died after eating Waggin' Train treats.[27] The Food and Drug Administration received more than 900 reports from grieving pet owners that alleged the treat was causing illness or death in their pets due to chicken products from China.[28][29] The FDA had issued warnings regarding these ingredients, but lab tests repeatedly confirmed there were no contaminants. Later that year, another consumer started a petition on Change.org asking retailers to voluntarily stop carrying the product. The petition attracted 60,000 signatures.[28] The following year, Waggin' Train and Canyon Creek dog treats were voluntarily taken off the market temporarily after the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets identified trace amounts of antibiotic residue, which is allowed in Europe and China, but not approved in the US.[30] In early 2014, a $6.5 million settlement was reached, pending approval by the court.[31] According to The Washington Post, the company later re-introduced the brands after "revamping its manufacturing process and overhauling its supply chain."[32]
In 2013 Nestlé Purina Petcare acquired the pet adoption website Petfinder.[33] The following year it acquired Zuke's, a producer of cat and dog treats.[34] From 2010 to 2012 Nestlé expanded its manufacturing operations in Australia, Hungary and Germany. It also implemented the company's largest solar panel farm at its facilities in Atlanta, Georgia.[35][36][37] In April 2014 Nestlé Purina Petcare opened the first "cat cafe"[lower-alpha 1] in the US.[38][39] Purina has partnerships with several non-profit organizations, including Urban Resource Institute, which operates pet-friendly domestic violence shelters in New York City.[40]
Legal issues
In May 2014, Nestle Purina Petcare began a legal dispute with Blue Buffalo regarding its advertising practices. In 2015, a class-action lawsuit was filed against Purina, claiming that the dog food manufactured by the company was hazardous for pets.[41] Blue Buffalo advertised that its products contain no meat byproduct or corn, whereas Purina said independent lab tests confirmed that they do.[42] Blue Buffalo made similar allegations against Purina in a counter-suit less than a week later.[43] It also alleged Purina was engaging in what it characterized as a "smear campaign".[44] The National Advertising Review Board and the Advertising Self-Regulatory Council found that Blue Buffalo's advertising was misleading and its claims that competitors were hiding information about their ingredients were unsubstantiated.[44][45] Blue Buffalo said it disagreed, but would obey the ruling.[45]
In 2015, a class-action lawsuit was filed against Purina. It alleged that the company's Beneful brand of dog food contained toxic ingredients. Purina said these ingredients were FDA-approved.[46][47]
Products and services
According to a SWOT analysis by MarketLine, Nestlé Purina Petcare's pet food brands that contribute substantially to revenue include Purina, Purina Dog Chow, Friskies, Purina Beneful and Purina One.[48] Some brands, such as Alpo are intended for budget shoppers, while others like Purina One and Beneful cost more and are for health or ingredient conscious consumers.[49] Purina ONE has been its fastest-growing brand.[13]
The company introduced an appetizer cat food, Fancy Feast Appetizers, in 2009.[50] A Purina Pro Plan line for senior dogs was introduced in 2010. It contains medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) for brain function and has whole grains for digestion.[20][51] A grain-free product, Purina One Beyond, was introduced in 2011.[52] Purina Pro Plan Sport, which contains extra fat and protein and is intended for athletic dogs, was made available in 2013.[53] In 2014 Purina introduced a product for the growing Brazilian market called Ravena, which used locally available ingredients, such as acerola and jabuticaba fruits.[54] Purina-branded accessories, such as training pads, beds, leashes and cleaners began being sold in 2011 under the Purina PetGear name through brand licensing agreements with other manufacturers.[55][56]
Purina's significant brands and product lines include:[48]
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Marketing and advertising
In 2006, Nestlé Purina Petcare introduced a sponsored email application, Doggie-Mail, that could send messages online through a talking dog.[57] In 2009 it sponsored the PawNation.com site developed by AOL, which hosted crowd-sourced pet videos, tips, Q&As and other content about pet ownership.[58] Purina also sponsored Martha Stewart's pet tips site, Living Omnimedia.[59] The company introduced an advertising campaign for the Alpo brand with the slogan "Real dogs eat meat". In the ad, over-pampered pets were "rescued" and fed Alpo, implying that pets needed to stay in touch with their primal nature by eating real meat.[60] In 2009 it released a free iPhone app called "petcentric places" that allows users to map local pet-related locations, like dog parks or pet-friendly hotels.[61] In 2010, Purina released a branded Facebook game called Purina Pet Resort, where players manage a virtual pet resort.[62]
In 2011, Nestlé Purina Petcare became the official sponsor of the Westminster show hosted by the American Kennel Club.[63] The company introduced a competition for pet owners to win a part-time job earning $50,000 annually to travel with their cat, interview other pet owners and write for the Purina website.[64][65] Nestle Purina also produced television advertisements intended for Austria that had audio effects only pets could hear. It was the first set of advertisements targeting pets directly, rather than their owners.[66]
In 2012, Purina and another Nestlé business, Jenny Craig, jointly created "Project: Pet Slim Down", an online program intended to help pets and pet owners lose weight together.[67] Grumpy Cat became a "spokescat" for the Friskies brand in late 2013.[68] In 2013 Purina featured ads during the Westminster Show that featured crowd-sourced videos submitted to Purina in response to the question "How is Your Dog Great?"[69]
Operations
Nestlé Purina Petcare is operated as a subsidiary of Nestlé. It is headquartered in St Louis, Missouri and has operations in North America, Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America and Oceania.[48] There are sixteen buildings on 50 acres at its headquarters,[44]:3 including a four-story research facility built in 2010[70] and a Learning and Training center built in 2011.[71][72] In 2010, Purina built the $10 million Purina Event Center for dog shows and competitions.[73] Nestlé Purina Petcare sponsors various charitable activities,[13] such as the Pet Care Pride Day annual event where employees do volunteer work.[74] Employees are allowed to bring their pets to work.[44]:3 The company has on-site gyms, physical fitness trainers, medical care, and an employee turnover of approximately 5 percent.[71]
As of 2005 Purina Petcare was Nestlé's second most profitable division behind pharmaceuticals.[49] It was the largest pet food manufacturer by market share in the US and the second-largest in Europe.[75] As of 2012, globally Purina has a 23.1 percent share of the pet food market, while its largest competitor, Mars, has a 23.4 percent share.[76] According to a Research and Markets report, competition between Nestlé and Mars has been "fierce."[77]
In 2010 Nestlé Purina Petcare won the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award based on organizational and manufacturing performance.[78][79] Its manufacturing operations have continuously reduced the amount of materials used in packaging, increased the recycling of waste product and reduced water usage, in addition to installing solar panels to produce electricity for its offices and facilities.[80] In 2011 Nestlé Purina Petcare was ranked as one of 11 most sustainable companies in Two Tomorrow's annual ranking.[81] As of 2014, it has 19 manufacturing plants.[82][lower-alpha 2]
References
- ↑ 2013 Annual report (PDF), Nestlé, retrieved October 1, 2014
- 1 2 3 Scott, David (December 13, 2001). "Nestle Completes Deal to purchase Ralston Purina". Associated Press. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
- 1 2 3 Joyce, Amy (December 12, 2001). "FTC Clears Nestlé to Buy Ralston Purina; Combined Company Will Dominate Worldwide Pet-Food Market". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
- ↑ Elliott, Stuart (July 8, 2003). "A new pitch for cat food is based on celebrating Fluffy's inner beast". The New York Times. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
- ↑ Kozol, Greg (March 6, 2002). "Friskies adjusts after merger". St. Joseph News-Press. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
- ↑ "Wall Street Probe Expands Past Merrill". The Capital Times. April 11, 2002. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
- ↑ "Friskies will close St. Joseph facility; 120 jobs lost". St. Joseph News-Press. April 9, 2002. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
- ↑ Braude, Norma (February 21, 2002). "IDA OKs Sales of Land for Nestlé Purina Expansion". The Buffalo News. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
- ↑ "Nestle Purina PetCare plans $36 million expansion in St. Joe". St. Joseph News-Press. July 20, 2006. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
- ↑ Rungfapaisarn, Kwanchai (August 1, 2002). "Nestle to scrap Purina unit's dealer network". The Nation. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
- ↑ "Nestle Consolidates Pet-Products Units in St. Louis.". Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News. May 1, 2004. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
- ↑ "Purina, CHF announce partnership". Feedstuffs. March 31, 2003. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
- 1 2 3 Tyya Turner (July 2007). Vault Guide to the Top Consumer Products Employers. Vault Inc. p. 261. ISBN 978-1-58131-404-5.
- 1 2 Feldstein, Mary Jo (February 20, 2005). "Purina PetCare recalls pet food made in Venezuela". St Louis Post-Dispatch.
- ↑ Marion Nestle (August 16, 2008). Pet Food Politics: The Chihuahua in the Coal Mine. University of California Press. p. 17. ISBN 978-0-520-94198-4. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
- ↑ Olson, Elizabeth (May 28, 2014). "Pet food wars: David v. Goliath edition". Retrieved September 2, 2014.
- ↑ Verrinder, Matthew. "dog, cat owners worry over recall of food brands". Associated Press. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
- ↑ Bridges, Andrew. "Pet food recall grows to include first dry products". Associated Press. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
- ↑ Dilworth, Dianna (November 5, 2007). "Contaminated pet food recall once again expands". CTV News. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
- 1 2 3 Mulier, Thomas (October 25, 2009). "Purina Buoys Nestle, Defies Slump as Households Put Pets First". Bloomberg. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
- ↑ "PurinaCare Insurance picks San Antonio for corporate headquarters". San Antonia Business Journal. June 9, 2008. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
- ↑ "Pethealth plans to acquire certain assets of PurinaCare". DVM360 MAGAZINE. May 1, 2013. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
- ↑ Proctor, Cathy. "Nestlé Purina solar-power plant nothing to bark at". Denver Business Journal. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
- ↑ Brown, Lisa (September 17, 2010). "Nestlé Purina completes Waggin' Train buy, names president". St. Louis Dispatch. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
- ↑ "Nestle to buy U.S. dog food company Waggin' Train". Reuters. September 10, 2010. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
- ↑ "Purina recalls some dog food for salmonella risk". Bloomberg BusinessWeek. August 30, 2013. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
- ↑ Harris, Andrew (April 19, 2012). "Nestle Purina Sued Over Dog Treats Owner Says Are Deadly". Retrieved September 2, 2014.
- 1 2 "Grieving pet owners take jerky treat fight to the stores". ABC News. September 27, 2012. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
- ↑ Galli, Cindy (May 23, 2012). "Chinese Pet Treats Linked to 900 Dog Deaths, Illnesses". ABC News. Retrieved October 2, 2014.
- ↑ "Purina, Milo's Kitchen pulling some dog treats". Associated Press. January 9, 2013. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
- ↑ Aleccia, Jonel (May 30, 2014). "Jerky Pet Treat Deal: Makers Agree to $6.5 Million Fund". Retrieved September 2, 2014.
- ↑ Brady, Dennis (March 29, 2014). "Chasing the toxic culprit". The Washington Post. p. A.1.
- ↑ Salter, Jim (June 5, 2013). "Nestle Purina to purchase Petfinder". Associated Press. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
- ↑ Coleman-Lochner, Lauren; Boyle, Matthew (January 15, 2014). "Nestle Purina Completes Purchase of Pet-Treat Marketer Zuke's". Bloomberg BusinessWeek. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
- 1 2 "Nestlé Purina PetCare". WATT PetFood Industry. Retrieved September 3, 2014.
- ↑ "Nestle starts production at expanded west Hungary unit". Regional Today. April 11, 2013. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
- ↑ "Nestlé Hungária begins production at new HUF 10bln plant in Western Hungary". Budapest Business Journal. July 7, 2011. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
- ↑ Lanks, Belinda (April 25, 2014). "The Nation's First Cat Cafe Comes to New York". Bloomberg BusinessWeek. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
- ↑ Harris, Andrew (April 19, 2012). "Nestle Purina Sued Over Dog Treats Owner Says Are Deadly". Bloomberg. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
- ↑ "Nestlé Purina Tops $30 Million in Support of Pet-Related Organizations and Causes in 2015". March 21, 2016.
- ↑ Missouri Dog Treat Class Action Settlement, Hectamedia, retrieved May 2016 Check date values in:
|access-date=
(help) - ↑ Salter, Jim (May 6, 2014). "Nestle Purina sues over pet food competitor claims". Associated Press. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
- ↑ "Legal battle over pet food ingredients escalates". Bloomberg BusinessWeek. Associated Press. May 14, 2014. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
- 1 2 3 4 Barrett, Paul (July 24, 2014). "Dog Food Fight! Purina Says Blue Buffalo Is 'Built on Lies'". Bloomberg BusinessWeek. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
- 1 2 Barrett, Paul (August 26, 2014). "Pet Food Fight: Ad Industry Review Board Smacks Blue Buffalo". Bloomberg BusinessWeek. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
- ↑ Silva, Daniella (February 24, 2015). "Lawsuit Claims Purina's Beneful Is Poisoning, Killing Dogs". NBC News. Retrieved February 25, 2015.
- ↑ Hernandez, Jodi; Fernandez, Lisa. "Dogs Were "Poisoned": Discovery Bay Man Sues Purina After His Dogs Die, Get Sick". NBC. Retrieved February 27, 2015.
- 1 2 3 "Nestle Purina PetCare Company SWOT Analysis". MarketLine. June 2013.
- 1 2 Feldstein, Mary Jo (January 14, 2005). "Pet food makers try to catch high-end market while appealing to budget shoppers". St Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
- ↑ Brown, Lisa (July 18, 2010). "Fancy Feast treats make Nestle Purina the cats' meow". St. Louis Dispatch. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
- ↑ Alleyne, Richard (June 1, 2010). "Scientists claim you can teach an old dog new tricks if you feed them right". The Telegraph. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
- ↑ "Nestle offers healthier Stouffer's meals". Associated Press. October 23, 2010. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
- ↑ Jarvis, Paul (January 11, 2013). "Nestle's Purina Targets Fitness Fans With New Dog Food Offering". Bloomberg BusinessWeek.
- ↑ Boyle, Matthew (May 29, 2014). "Growl From Ipanema Lures Purina to Largest Dog Population". Bloomberg BusinessWeek.
- ↑ Irwin, Tanya (July 29, 2011). "Purina Pet Gear Products Launch At Walmart, Others". MediaPost. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
- ↑ "Nestlé Purina Gets Pets in Gear By Becky Ebenkamp". Adweek. June 17, 2009. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
- ↑ Elliott, Stuart (December 4, 2006). "A Letter From Three Dogs?". The New York Times. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
- ↑ "AOL Launches Pets Site". MediaPost. May 18, 2009. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
- ↑ "Purina Backs Martha Stewart Pet Site". MediaPost. March 16, 2009. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
- ↑ "Market Report: The dogness effect". Watt Petfood Industry. June 8, 2009. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
- ↑ Harnick, Chris (September 1, 2009). "Purina mobile initiative aims to pamper pets". Mobile Marketer. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
- ↑ Lukovitz, Karlene (August 16, 2010). "Purina Debuts Facebook Pet Resort Game". MediaPost. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
- ↑ Brown, Lisa (June 7, 2011). "Nestlé Purina nabs Westminster Kennel Club sponsorship". St. Louis Dispatch. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
- ↑ Yancey, Kitty (March 4, 2011). "Have a cat? Want $50,000 to travel?". USA Today. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
- ↑ Brown, Lisa (May 8, 2011). "Purina finalists vie at cat callbacks". St. Louis Dispatch.
- ↑ Kozol, Greg (September 30, 2011). "St. Joseph tied to ad aimed at dogs". St. Joseph News-Press. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
- ↑ "Project: Pet Slim Down, Nestle-Jenny Craig Joint Venture, Aims To Help Pets And Owners Lose Weight". Reuters. January 9, 2012. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
- ↑ Salter, Jim (September 17, 2013). "Cheer up, Grumpy Cat: You have an endorsement deal". Associated Press. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
- ↑ Irwin, Tanya (February 12, 2013). "Purina Debuts Spot During Westminster Show". MediaPost. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
- ↑ Scherer, Ray (August 5, 2010). "Nestle Purina plans 'cat hotel'". St. Joseph News-Press. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
- 1 2 "Nestlé Purina PetCare - Best Places to Work Winner: Large Companies". St. Louis Business Journal. March 15, 2013. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
- ↑ Volkmann, Kelsey (July 15, 2010). "Nestlé Purina PetCare to build $15M addition to HQ". St. Louis Business Journal. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
- ↑ Salter, Jim (August 19, 2010). "Purina center launch aided by top dogs". Associated Press. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
- ↑ Weston, Alonzo (May 21, 2008). "Nestle employees take half a day to help others". St. Joseph News-Press. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
- ↑ Marion Nestle; Malden Nesheim (May 11, 2010). Feed Your Pet Right: The Authoritative Guide to Feeding Your Dog and Cat. Simon and Schuster. p. 49. ISBN 978-1-4391-6644-4.
- ↑ Coleman-Lochner, Lauren (April 9, 2014). "Mars to Buy P&G Pet-Food Brands for $2.9 Billion in Cash". Bloomberg. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
- ↑ "Nestlé SA in Pet Care (World)". Euromonitor International. November 2013. Retrieved September 3, 2014.
- ↑ Phillips-Donaldson, Debbie (March 7, 2011). "Nestlé Purina: building on a tradition of trust". Watt Petfood Industry. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
- ↑ "How Nestlé Purina PetCare earned the Malcolm Baldrige Award". WATT Pet Food Industry. March 7, 2011. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
- ↑ "Heroes of the Planet - Nestlé Purina PetCare". St. Louis Dispatch. October 26, 2012. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
- ↑ Phillips-Donaldson, Debbie (October 27, 2011). "Nestle Purina's parent company ranks among top 'green' firms". WATT Pet Food Industry. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
- ↑ Our locations, Nestle Purina Petcare, retrieved November 5, 2014