Only five years ago, there were just about five wet pet food brands for dogs and cats in Mexico's local pet food market. However, the past couple of years have seen an unprecedented launch of wet pet food products in the country.
Compared to other markets, wet food is not as popular as dry food. Mexican consumers prefer feeding their dogs with dry food products, as it is more convenient to store, easier to handle and relatively inexpensive. For cats, the trend is quite similar.
However, such a tendency will likely change, as many of the larger local companies are introducing wet food versions of their well-established dry food brands.
For example, two large domestic companies, Propecsa and Grupo Nu3, just launched a wet food product portfolio. The former company with Dog-Mix and Cat-Mix brands; the latter launched wet versions of two of its recognized dry food products, Natural Gourmet and Grand Pet.
Furthermore, Nestlé introduced a wet food version of Proplan after several years of rapid growth in the super-premium dry dog food category.
On a smaller scale, a few super-premium brands also launched wet food versions; for example, Instinct by Nature’s Variety and Taste of the Wild by Schell & Kampeter (Diamond Pet Foods). Another example is Blue Wilderness by Blue Buffalo.
There are other cases of new product developments of wet food brands that recently came out to the marketplace; however, some of these novel products are not extensively distributed or are just available online.
The new products mentioned above are available in plastic pouch packaging or cans.
Why wet food is increasing its popularity?
The overall pet food market is extending growth momentum in Mexico, and numerous companies are seeking to increase sales of product categories delivering higher profit, such as wet food.
Another reason is the previous shortage scenario that inhibited demand. Due to the lack of brand variety of wet food in earlier years, consumers were likely unwilling to try the few wet products available. With the introduction of new wet food brands, nowadays consumers have more options to choose from.
In any case, a positive aspect is the increasing availability of wet food products, which is reflecting the mature stage of the local pet food market in Mexico.
