Dane Creek Capital Corp. (DCCC) acquired Naturawls Pet Products, a manufacturer of raw pet food and dehydrated pet treats for dogs and cats in Canada.
Naturawl’s premium raw pet food and dehydrated treats are sold under the NatuRAWls brand; dehydrated pet treats are also sold under the brand name Nothing Added. Based in St. Thomas, Ontario, Naturawl’s products can be found in pet specialty retail stores including PetSmart, Pet Valu and Global Pet Foods locations throughout the province.
The purchase price represents 0.9 times trailing 2017 revenue. Under the terms of the deal, DCCC will pay a portion in cash and the remainder in equity from its subsidiary United Raw Pet Food Inc. United Raw was created as a wholly owned holding company for DCCC’s interests in alternative pet foods. DCCC will retain a substantive majority interest in United Raw post-transaction. The founder and CEO of Naturawls, Mark Murakami, will continue as CEO and also assume the role of president of United Raw. No other terms were announced.
Other raw pet food acquisitions
The transaction marks DCCC’s third acquisition of a Canadian raw pet food manufacturer in less than a year. In Q4-2017, DCCC acquired Mountain Dog Enterprises Inc., the Edmonton, Alberta based manufacturer of Mountain Dog Food brand raw pet foods. In January of this year, it acquired Pets4Life, the St. Thomas, Ontario based raw pet food manufacturer directly adjacent to Naturawls. With the acquisition of Naturawls, DCCC will now work with Murakami to combine the manufacturing operations of the two companies into one larger and more efficient operation. All three raw pet food manufacturers are held by United Raw.
The NatuRAWls raw pet food line is characterized by a range of single protein meals including chicken, beef, turkey, lamb and duck. All meals incorporate high protein muscle meats, organ and bone, complimented by spinach, carrot, pumpkin, cranberry, blueberry, apple cider vinegar and alfalfa to provide dogs and cats with nutritionally balanced meals.
With the addition of the Naturawls and Nothing Added brands, DCCC now has four brands and two manufacturers of dehydrated pet treats in its portfolio. DCCC is also the majority owner in Your True Companion Pet Products Inc., makers of the True Raw Choice and Pawzzie brands of pet treats. Nothing Added treats can be found in PetSmart, Pet Valu, and other pet specialty retail stores throughout Canada.
