Merrick Pet Care Inc. signed an agreement to acquire Castor & Pollux Natural PetWorks, a privately held natural and organic petfood company based in Oregon, USA.

Although specific terms of the deal were not disclosed, Merrick Pet Care says the acquisition of Castor & Pollux further advances its key growth strategies of expanding the company’s brands in the super-premium petfood segment and allows for greater utilization of its manufacturing facilities located in Hereford, Texas, USA.

“This acquisition is about building a new company that is even stronger than the sum of its parts,” said Greg Shearson, CEO for Merrick Pet Care. “Both Merrick and Castor & Pollux were built by passionate founders determined to provide optimal nutrition for pets. That remains our commitment today. Our Merrick pet food recipes are developed and made every day in our own facilities, enabling us to deliver superior nutritional quality and safety.

“Even in this historically difficult economic environment, we see pet parents seeking higher quality and ingredient certainty in the food choices they are making for themselves and their pets,” said Shearson. “And together, we can better meet the growing demand for the highest quality petfood.”

Merrick plans to consolidate Castor & Pollux's operations at Merrick’s Texas, USA, facilities.

"The addition of the outstanding Castor & Pollux brands gives us a solid footing within the natural and organic space. Coupled with some exciting new plans we have to evolve the Merrick brands in the next few months, we are well positioned for growth of our entire Texas-based operation,” Merrick Pet Care Inc. founder, Garth Merrick, said.