Who owns the iams company

At that time, the dog food looked, according to company literature, like "potting soil mixed with corn flakes. But it was apparently a little offensive to some new consumers.

In an interview in the July Nation's Business , Mathile described the trouble dogs had with Iams Plus: "They'd sniff it up their noses, and they'd spit it out, and they'd cough. With the new, improved product, sales doubled in two years, and doubled again in Mathile had also shepherded a new brand onto the market, called Eukanuba.

The name was taken from a favorite expression of Paul Iams, who heard it from the jazz star Hoagie Carmichael, and it means "the best. It sold well from the start. The Iams company soon outgrew its Dayton headquarters and built a new plant in Lewisburg, Ohio. With a new brand, national distribution, growing facilities, and skyrocketing sales, the company was doing very well.

At this time, founder Paul Iams decided to retire. In , he sold his half of the company to Clay Mathile and his wife. With the company's direction entirely in his hands, Mathile worked to make Iams more efficient. He hired new top managers and put together a board of directors. The directors he first chose were friends, but Mathile soon decided he needed a more professional team. So he brought together a new board, this time taking talent from large national businesses such as Tupperware and Dayton Hudson.

There were 48 million dogs in American households in , and 44 million cats. The dog and cat food category was second only to the cereal category in the prepared foods market.

As big manufacturers like Ralston-Purina and Gaines competed for supermarket space, Iams continued to sell through veterinarians and breeders. Sales of all brands through these outlets grew quickly in the s, and Iams sales growth sometimes topped 25 percent a year.

Perhaps fueled by a rising general interest in health food, more consumers were turning to better quality food for their pets. The Iams Company increased its advertising in the s and continued to market its brands with educational pamphlets distributed through breeders and veterinarians.

The company brought out its first cat food in , and soon followed with foods tailored to life stages, such as kitten and puppy food, and food for less active older animals. Following Clay Mathile's growth strategy, the company expanded its manufacturing capacity, updating its plants and building a new factory in Aurora, Nebraska, in the mids.

The company's annual production capacity doubled between and Iams began to sell its brands overseas as well. Exports were five percent of sales in the late s, and growing. Profits were high as well, with estimated pre-tax margins of 25 percent. Because the Iams and Eukanuba brands were premium quality, consumers paid far more for them than for the supermarket variety of pet food.

Manufacturers of supermarket pet foods saw profit margins far lower, even as their sales grew too in the s. Dozens of new premium brands of dog and cat food entered the market in the late s, and Iams had to try harder to maintain its place.

The company got a new president in , Tom McLeod, formerly president of the bakery division of Sara Lee. McLeod understood that the s might be a more competitive period for the company, as its success was copied.

Yet he refrained from changing the company's marketing strategy by, for example, trying to sell in supermarkets. Nonetheless, to increase its presence, the company began to contact consumers through direct mail, and to reach them with public service ads. In Iams advertised in newspapers, advising consumers, "If you're in the market for the best pet food, get out of the supermarket!

But competing directly with supermarket brands was a difficult game, and Iams customers by and large were a very discriminating group who could be reached other ways.

The next year the company launched a direct-mail campaign as a way to build brand loyalty. One recommended Innova large breed puppy and the other one approved the choice.

I was shocked to find out the pet stores had discontinued the food and I had to get it online. So I called Nayira Pet in mid June. I told them we wanted to put the puppy on their food but I was concerned about the feedback from the stores. I asked Natura if there was something going on with their food. The woman on the phone acted like I was stupid and asked me where I lived.

She said it had to be the area as to why the food was not popular and the stores did not want to carry it. So I trusted her and started him on it.

A month later they discontinue without a warning or consideration for the animals on it. Moreover, the dog was not doing well on the food — loose stools and diarrhea all the time.

I thought he was sick. So we switched to Orijen large breed puppy over the weekend did not even do it gradually — stools are normal in all aspects. I am so disgusted with the pet food industry — a cheap money making machine with no accountability big deal if a few thousand pets died — reference So I will feed Orijen since it is made by a private company without outsourcing or big corporation involvement.

However I have to check the website regularly because small companies get bought by bigger ones all the time. I am so disgusted with Natura and the owner, the well known Mars and most of the food industry. I will feed home made once the dogis one year old. Please protect your pets and do your research. Your pets do not have a voice of their own — you are it!!!!

Our dog is very allergic to foods and was doing well on California Natural until recently when all his allergic symptoms came back with a vengeance…. We have to now find a new dog food to replace California Natural… not an easy chore.

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Click Here to learn more about the failures of the U. Did you know that all pet food ingredients have a separate definition than the same ingredient in human food? If your pet has become sick or has died you believe is linked to a pet food, it is important to report the issue to FDA and your State Department of Agriculture.

Click Here for more information on reporting to FDA. Click Here to find your State representatives. Subscribe to our Newsletter Click Here. About TruthaboutPetFood. Friends of TruthaboutPetFood. Fifteen years ago, Natura's Innova was one of the most trusted kibble pet foods. Today the brand doesn't exist. What happened? Subscribe to the Newsletter Petsumer Report. Connect with us. Hi, what are you looking for? CatRescuer April 9, at am. What pet foods does Mars currently make?

Susan Thixton April 9, at am. Royal Canin, Pedigree, Nutro are the bigger brands. Jan April 10, at am. Iva Kimmelman April 9, at pm. Regina April 9, at pm. Maddison April 9, at pm. But the company remains "comfortable" it will meet the range of earnings estimates for the fiscal year ended June 30, , he said. Entering the global pet health and nutrition business with Iams is a first step, the company said.

The deal, which was struck in just 60 days, is subject to U. The year-old company was founded by animal nutritionist Paul Iams, who chose the brand name "Eukanuba," a popular expression in the s meaning "the best.