Pet food producer has an appetite for international growth

Rabbits around the world are feasting on Yorkshire hay exported by a long-established independent family business.

Burgess Pet Care says its latest international listing on Zooplus, a key German distribution platform, has provided a significant boost for the brand’s European profile.

Hay from the business’s Excel brand, which is sourced from local farmers, is now meeting appetites across four continents.

Annabel Coleman, Excel brand manager at Burgess Pet Care, said “It’s a great testament to our incredible farmers we work with that we are seeing so much demand for these products.

“We’re happy to offer owners in both the UK and around the world the chance to provide their small animals with a diet rich in the finest Yorkshire hay.

“We are currently developing larger pack size options and tasty herb additions to add to our hay ranges – UK and International – in response to the increased demand.”

Burgess can be traced back to the 17th century as a family milling business and now has almost 60 years of pet food production to its name.

It is based at Thornton le Dale in North Yorkshire – with significant operations in Pollington, East Yorkshire.

The company’s ranges are stocked in countries as far afield as China, Germany, Kuwait, Malaysia, Malta, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand and United Arab Emirates, in addition to the UK and Ireland.

Burgess says it has achieved international growth in spite of the post-Brexit trading environment, which it notes has added increased complexity at the EU border.

And the firm adds that it has further global expansion plans in the pipeline.