Pet Food Companies Natural Balance, Canidae Announce Merger

March 23, 2023

Merger brings together two brands known for higher-end products with distinct messaging and direction.

Pet food companies Natural Balance and Canidae will combine after the announcement that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement.

Natural Balance has offered a wide variety of premium dog and cat food products as well as treats for more than 30 years, while Canidae has offered dog and cat food products aligned with regenerative agriculture and sustainable operations strategies for 25 years. According to the news release, the combined company's flagship offerings will include Canidae's Pure, Goodness, and All Life Stages, as well as Natural Balance's Limited Ingredient (LI) and Original Ultra product lines.

As part of the transaction, investment firm L Catterton, majority shareholder of Canidae, and investment company Nexus Capital Management, majority shareholder of Natural Balance, are each contributing new growth capital to support the successful integration and strategic long-term expansion of the combined company.

Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

About the Author

Andy Hanacek | Senior Editor

Andy Hanacek has covered meat, poultry, bakery and snack foods as a B2B editor for nearly 20 years, and has toured hundreds of processing plants and food companies, sharing stories of innovation and technological advancement throughout the food supply chain. In 2018, he won a Folio:Eddie Award for his unique "From the Editor's Desk" video blogs, and he has brought home additional awards from Folio and ASBPE over the years. In addition, Hanacek led the Meat Industry Hall of Fame for several years and was vice president of communications for We R Food Safety, a food safety software and consulting company.