General Mills has announced two new launches within its North America Pet segment with initiatives from Blue Buffalo and Edgard & Cooper, designed to meet evolving pet parent preferences and accelerate the company’s growth in pet feeding.
Blue Buffalo to launch “Love Made Fresh”
Blue Buffalo, the most loved and trusted natural pet food brand in the U.S., is launching “Love Made Fresh” nationally, giving pet parents more ways to love and feed their pets like family. Using its trusted nutritional philosophy and superior ingredients, Blue Buffalo will meet a growing trend of pet parents looking for fresh pet food, as well as a preference for mixing fresh with kibble and other formats.
Blue Buffalo’s “Love Made Fresh” will feature multiple formats and a variety of flavorful recipes, designed to be a standalone fresh solution or a perfect companion to its portfolio of dry dog food. Arriving in stores nationwide later this year, this new, fresh portfolio reflects General Mills’ commitment to meet the evolving expectations of pet parents and unlock growth in a dynamic $3 billion fresh pet food sub-category. With this launch, Blue Buffalo will represent the largest U.S. pet food brand to offer solutions across dry, wet and fresh feeding.
“Pet parents are redefining how they feed and treat their pets, and at General Mills, we’re listening and continuing to bring trusted, high-quality natural solutions to a rapidly evolving marketplace. These moves position us to lead in both scale and innovation across the pet food aisle, with offerings that appeal to the fastest-growing demographic in the category—young pet parents.”
– Liz Mascolo, Segment President, North America Pet, General Mills.
Edgard & Cooper expands to U.S.
Following its April 2024 acquisition of Edgard & Cooper, a leading European premium pet food brand, General Mills will launch the brand in the U.S. this July through an exclusive retail partnership with PetSmart, a leading omnichannel pet retailer. This U.S. launch will feature Edgard & Cooper’s fresh take on pet nutrition, with recipes made with real, recognizable ingredients like fresh chicken, venison and duck, combined with nutritious fruits and vegetables. The range spanning dry food, wet food and treats is designed to support dogs of all breeds and life stages. The national PetSmart launch will leverage Edgard & Cooper’s digital-first, social-led marketing approach—a proven driver of its rapid growth in Europe—and further PetSmart’s position in the super-premium segment.
“Pet parents are redefining how they feed and treat their pets, and at General Mills, we’re listening and continuing to bring trusted, high-quality natural solutions to a rapidly evolving marketplace. These moves position us to lead in both scale and innovation across the pet food aisle, with offerings that appeal to the fastest-growing demographic in the category—young pet parents.”
– Liz Mascolo, segment president, North America Pet, General Mills.
These investments align with General Mills’ Accelerate strategy, combining brand leadership with relentless innovation and consumer-centric insights to drive long-term growth.