Freshpet

In 2013, Freshpet opened a new manufacturing facility, the Freshpet Kitchens, located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. This new $25 million facility was built to resemble human-grade manufacturing standards.[4] In 2015, the company opened a new research and development center in the township. In 2018, it announced an investment of $100+ million to expand its pet food production operations at its current location.[14][7]

In February 2020, Freshpet announced that a new pet food manufacturing facility will be built in Ennis, Texas, which is expected to create 427 jobs. The state awarded Freshpet with a $2.0 million grant from its Texas Enterprise Fund.[15]

Freshpet food makes refrigerated dog and cat foods and dog treats under the brands Freshpet Select, Dog Joy, Vital, Nature's Fresh and Dognation. Freshpet Select foods and Dog Joy treats are sold at grocery and mass merchandise retailers. Vital foods, and Dognation treats are sold at pet specialty retailers. Nature's Fresh foods are sold at natural retailers. The brand's dog food products include rolls, roasted meals (small meatballs) and Fresh from the Kitchen (shredded meat). Cat products consist of pâté rolls, cat roasted meals, and stews.[16][17]

Freshpet also claims its food does not contain any processed meat meals or by-products, and is made in small batches at lower temperatures to preserve the natural goodness of the ingredients.

Unlike traditional shelf-stable pet foods, Freshpet ingredients are cooked once at lower temperatures. Thus, similar to less-processed foods such as milk, natural cooked meats and yogurt, the meals have a shorter shelf life.

At the end of 2018, advertising analytics firm Ace Metrix named Freshpet's “The Story of Princess” TV spot as the #1 best storytelling ad of the year.[18] “Princess” tells the story of Princess the pitbull, who was rescued from a fighting house by her owner, Kandi.

In October 2018, Freshpet launched their Tattoo Pawlor event in partnership with First Class Tattoos in New York City. 10 pet owners were selected to have their pet's face tattooed on themselves, courtesy of Freshpet.[6]

In September 2018, Freshpet released “Pet Parents, Oversharing,” a podcast hosted by improv comediennes and pet owners Kaity Reagle and Andrea Shapiro. The 7-episode season explored the relationships people have with their pets.[19]

In September 2017, Freshpet released its “Picky Eater Approved” TV spot, which featured the story of Rudy the pug who went on a hunger strike until his owner, Mary Ann, fed him Freshpet.[20]

In December 2014, Freshpet released its “Freshpet Holiday Feast” video, which quickly became popular with over 13M views. The video began the brand's holiday tradition of a releasing an entertaining video for animal lovers every December.

On December 7, 2015, Freshpet uploaded the Santa Elves video on their YouTube page, garnering 1.7M views.[21] The video was made in collaboration with the Salt Lake County Animal Services[22] and Freshpet donated one meal of Freshpet food for every share the video generated. Other viral video releases from the brand include “Cats Vs. Dogs,” “People Eating Dog Food Without Knowing It,” and “Santa’s Elves,” a 2015 holiday video featuring social media celebrity Marnie the dog.[23]

In 2018, Freshpet released dual videos for the holiday season, with “Pet Parents Go Overboard for the Holidays” and “The Pup Who Stole Christmas,” which together amassed over 6M views.[24]

Freshpet operates its business, from wind-powered, landfill-free kitchens, to donate over 3 million meals to rescues and shelters across the US. In 2018, the company started its Fresh Start campaign, a charitable effort to raise awareness for over-looked shelter animals that face stigmas to adoption, such as breed types, disabilities or past abuse. As part of the campaign, Freshpet funded a new intensive care unit for the Animal Alliance of New Jersey, a shelter that specializes in rescuing high-risk cats and dogs that often need serious medical intervention.[25]

The 2014 "Holiday Feast" video was a joint venture between Freshpet and the Humane Society of Utah[26] to help animals find permanent homes. This collaborative effort was able to collect supplies and donations for many animal shelters. Freshpet also paid the adoption fees and provided the families with a supply of pet food to get them started.[27]

• NJ.com - Paw Print: Pet food company steps up to the plate
• South Charlotte Weekly – Culinary Corner: Canine Cuisine

• Official website

• Business data for Freshpet, Inc.:
  • Google Finance
  • Yahoo! Finance
  • Bloomberg
  • Reuters
  • SEC filings