ST. LOUIS — Native Pet, a clean-label ingredient pet supplement company, recently closed its series B funding round with $11 million in investments. According to the company, the successful funding round represents a milestone in its rapid growth toward becoming a leader in the pet supplement sector.
Launched in 2017, Native Pet has honed its focus on proprietary formulas and formats, offering a slew of innovative supplements to support pet health and wellness. The company announced a rebrand earlier this year to represent a “collective shift in consumer mindset on how to support dogs’ health and wellness.”
“As of 2023, 50% of US households have a dog [according to the American Pet Products Association] and that number continues to rapidly grow. At the same time, dog parents are waking up to the limitations of a kibble-only diet,” said Dan Schaefer, co-founder and chief executive officer of Native Pet. “Consumer feeding habits are evolving. More than ever, the consumer is adding supplements to their dog’s bowl to customize their diet and use it as an opportunity to drive health outcomes.”
To meet this shift, Native Pet strives to offer a refreshed mindset to the supplement segment within pet nutrition. The company’s approach centers on bridging a gap between nutraceuticals and increasing demand for more clean-label, functional solutions for dogs.
Native Pet’s products are formulated with functional whole foods (like pumpkin, bone broth and chicken protein) that boast research-based health and wellness benefits to pets, while also being recognizable to pet parents. The supplements are also developed with assistance from board certified veterinary nutritionists and food scientists, and are taste-tested by a number of dogs before launched into the market to ensure nutritional efficacy and palatability.
This latest funding round was led by CAVU Consumer Partners, which also led Native Pet’s series A funding round. The company will use the funding to accelerate its product innovation and expand its retail footprint.
“The next evolution in the ‘humanization of pets’ is pet wellness. Today’s pet parents are increasingly looking beyond the bowl to improve their pet’s health and well-being,” said Jared Jacobs, partner at CAVU Consumer Partners and member of Native Pet’s board. “Native Pet is at the forefront of this emerging but rapidly growing pet nutrition category, and we are proud to partner with Dan, Pat and the Native Pet team as they aim to build the category defining brand in pet wellness.”
Read more about pet supplement products and trends.