LAUNCESTON, TASMANIA, AUSTRALIA — TasFoods Limited, a Tasmanian food company with several brands in the dairy and poultry categories, announced Oct. 24 its entrance into the Australian pet treat market with its new premium line, Isle & Sky.

The new brand is a result of a “major strategic reset over the past 18 months,” according to TasFoods, in which pet treats have been identified as potential growth category and market expansion opportunity for the company.

Australia’s pet food market is estimated at a value of more than $3 billion with an anticipated CAGR of 2.7%. TasFoods said it believes its new Isle & Sky brand is well positioned to meet growing demand for humanization, premiumization, and clean and natural ingredients in this space. The company has also worked sustainability and social impact initiatives into the brand.

TasFoods crafted Isle & Sky with support from its Nichols Poultry division, which produces several Tasmanian chicken products for human consumption. Nichols Poultry’s protein and clean-label philosophy will be translated to the pet treat line to benefit dogs and cats across Australia.

By utilizing resources from the company’s poultry business, Isle & Sky will support TasFoods’ environmental footprint reduction efforts through the use of poultry cuts that would otherwise go to waste. Nichols Poultry currently uses renewable energy from an on-site wind turbine for manufacturing, and has eliminated the use of chlorine in its chicken processing operations, both of which result in a cleaner and greener manufacturing process for its chicken products for humans, and now for pets.

“We are very proud of our new Isle & Sky Planet Friendly Pet Nutrition,” said Scott Hadley, chief executive officer of TasFoods. “Launching with a range of pet treats including Chicken Necks, Wings and Neck bites, the offering is unique insofar that it is 100% Tasmanian, human-grade, 100% waste neutral product, chlorine-free and vet-approved. We have leveraged our core capabilities at Nichols Poultry to expand this adjacent, high-growth category to fuel growth in both Australia and beyond once our model is proven.”

According to TasFoods, the company has already inked distribution deals with Petbarn, a pet specialty retailer operating more than 200 stores across the country, as well as with Eastern Distributors, which is Australia’s largest wholesale distributor for the independent pet retail segment. The partnership with Petbarn is expected to support TasFoods’ vision for Isle & Sky, and the partnership with Eastern Distributors will bring the brand to more than 1,400 pet stores down under.

Read more global pet food and treat news from outside North America.