NEW YORK — Made by Nacho announced several business expansions on April 20 in conjunction with its one-year anniversary celebration. The cat food brand, co-founded by celebrity chef Bobby Flay and his cat Nacho Flay, debuted more than 18 new cat food products and announced new distribution partnerships.

Following the success of its Series A funding round in February 2022, which closed with $14 million in investments, Made by Nacho has raised a total of $24 million in investments from New Fare Partners, Mars’ Companion Fund and others.

Founded in 2021, Made by Nacho has already carved out a space in the premium cat food segment of the industry, achieving more than 400,000 transactions as of April 2022.

"Though cats now outnumber dogs as household pets in the US, there's huge stagnation in the marketplace when it comes to cats," said Tessa Gould, chief executive officer of Made by Nacho. "Half of all cat parents don't think enough attention is paid to cats, and nearly three-quarters wish there were healthier options available for felines. Yet, despite the clear consumer desire for innovation and the fact that cat food is a large… and growing market globally, nearly all venture capital funding in the pet industry goes to dog-centric companies.

“Made by Nacho is changing that,” Gould added. “When we launched a year ago, we knew we had something special with our culinary-first approach — thanks to Chef Bobby Flay — but we're blown away by the consumer response to our brand and recipes in our first year in business."

To meet the rising demand of cat food, Made by Nacho has unveiled 18 new SKUs, including its first pâté recipe and a recipe exclusively for kittens.

The new products include pâtés, toppers, adult cat and kitten kibbles, minced formulas, and treats:

• Pâté is available in Grain-Free Pollock & Salmon, Grain-Free Chicken for adult cats and Grain-Free Skin & Coat Support Herring & Cod recipes, all in 6.4-oz packages.
• Functional Puréed Toppers are available in a Cage-Free Chicken and Bone Broth formula with Immune Support, Digestive Support, and Bone & Joint Support varieties, all in 1.4-oz packages.
• Culinary Kibble is available in a Paella-Inspired Sustainably caught Whitefish, Chicken and Bone Broth recipe and a Provençal-style Grain-Free Cage-Free Chicken, Turkey and Bone Broth recipe, both in 2-lb, 4-lb and 10-lb bags.
• Kitten Kibble is available in a Chicken, Chicken Liver and Bone Broth formulas, all in 2-lb and 4-lb bags.
• Minced Recipes include a Grain-Free Pollock & Salmon recipe, as well as a Grain-Free Chicken recipe, both in 6.4-oz pouches.
• Freeze-dried cat treats are available in Salmon and Ahi Tuna varieties in 1.6-oz and 1.9-oz pouches.

As well as new products, Made by Nacho has expanded its distribution to include e-commerce companies Chewy and Petco.com. Originally, the brand launched with exclusive distribution through more than 1,300 PetSmart stores. Made by Nacho will also remain available on its own direct-to-consumer platform as well as on Amazon.

Besides new products and a distribution expansion, Made by Nacho also released limited edition human products to celebrate its anniversary. The “Very Serious Business Cat” collection included hats and mugs that featured Maine Coon Nacho Flay, with 100% of all profits donated to the company’s Charitable Fund that supports feline rescues and research organizations.

According to Made by Nacho, supporting animal shelters, adoption programs and cat health researchers is a key aspect of its brand, which seeks to help every cat. To date, the company has donated more than 200,000 meals to cats in need and, most recently, Made by Nacho partnered with the International Fund for Animal Welfare to help provide emergency aid to animal shelters in Ukraine.

"When Nacho and I set out to create Made by Nacho, we wanted to provide cats with food that was not only healthful and nutritious, but also delicious – something we truly felt was missing in the market," Flay said. "Our rapid growth in our first year proves to me that other cat parents have been feeling the same way, and we're grateful to all who have welcomed Made by Nacho into their homes. For us, the work has just begun; we can't wait to show you the exciting things we have in store as we head into year two."

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