Pet food manufacturer snaffles £2m private equity investment

Halifax-based Pure Pet Food, the manufacturer of dehydrated and freeze dried pet food, has secured a £2m investment from NVM Private Equity (NVM).

The firm said the investment would help to accelerate its plans for growth – launching new products, adding to their team and expanding throughout Europe.

Pure Pet Food, which won the Innovation at TheBusinessDesk.com’s 2018 Business Masters Awards and is understood to have a turnover of around £2m, was formed by childhood friends Mathew Cockroft and Daniel Valdur Eha. It has quickly grown from a business which started life in Valdur Eha’s kitchen, to a brand that is now sold around the world and in major retailers such as Pets at Home.

Pure produces natural pet food products in its human grade food facility in Halifax. The company’s innovative manufacturing techniques allow for products that not only address current market trends to feed a low processed and high quality food, but also avoids the inconvenience and expense which can prevent a significant number of owners from doing so.

Cockroft said: “Pure first started after we decided to do our own research into the current commercial pet food available and exactly how it was made. It made little sense to us that highly processed food, containing low quality ingredients, manufactured into small brown biscuits that are fed to pets each day was possibly the healthiest diet option.”

Valdur Eha added:“We set out to create a food which retained the convenience of a commercial dry or wet pet food, but with the benefits of fresh, wholesome ingredients. This thought process led us to the methods of dehydration and freeze drying, which allow for the gentle preservation of fresh ingredients. Pure requires no refrigeration or freezer space, owners simply have to add water and serve, creating a healthy low processed meal in minutes”.

Cockroft added: “Pure Pet Food has proved to be a big hit with pets suffering from a range of ailments and allergies such as stomach sensitivities, IBD, Pancreatitis and fussiness to name just a few. I think rather than anything special in our recipes it is more what we haven’t added. Our food contains no grains, corn, additives or any other nasties.”

Aaron Lawson-Clark, Investment Associate at NVM, said: “NVM is delighted to be backing Dan and Mat to take Pure Pet Food to the next level.  The team have impressed demonstrating the skills required to build a business, brand and quality product with limited resources.  We are excited by the potential market for natural convenient pet food in the years ahead and we look forward to working with the team to scale up the business and deliver the future of pet nutrition.”

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