Premium trends, brand evangelism take center stage at Petfood Forum 2026
Industry experts will address evolving consumer expectations and brand differentiation strategies at the annual event next April in Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
Kevin Ryan, Ph.D., and Ryan Estis will deliver keynote presentations at Petfood Forum 2026, addressing premium trends and customer experience strategies for pet food professionals.
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Petfood Forum 2026 will feature two keynote presentations designed to help pet food manufacturers and processors navigate shifting market dynamics and strengthen their competitive positioning.
Kevin RyanOpening keynote: Next-gen premium
Kevin Ryan, Ph.D., CEO of Malachite Strategy and Research, will deliver the opening keynote on Tuesday, April 28 at 8:00 a.m. His presentation, Next-gen premium: The consumer trends rewriting pet food innovation, will examine how premiumization has evolved beyond price points and ingredient lists to encompass purpose, experience and cultural values. Ryan will explore how trends from human food, wellness, beauty and luxury retail are reshaping consumer expectations for pet products, offering actionable strategies for innovation pipelines heading into 2026.
Ryan brings 20 years of experience bridging anthropology, food science and corporate strategy. Before founding Malachite, he served as global strategic senior planner at Amazon and led innovation strategy at General Mills. He holds a Ph.D. in food science and a master's degree in food anthropology, and shares industry insights through his FoodStuff newsletter and 3 Squares podcast.
Ryan EstisEye-Opener Session: Customers as brand evangelists
The Wednesday Eye-Opener Session on April 29 at 8:15 a.m. will feature Ryan Estis, a bestselling author and former Fortune 500 chief revenue officer who specializes in customer experience and human-centered growth strategies.
His presentation, The art of standing out: Leveraging remarkable experiences and experimentation to create brand evangelism, will address how personalization, AI-enabled automation and on-demand services are transforming customer expectations.
Estis will demonstrate how category-leading companies have aligned employees around common purposes to deliver exceptional experiences that serve as competitive differentiators. By inspiring new ideas about the dynamics of customer and employee relationships, Estis will provide a fresh understanding of how putting your customer at the center of your growth strategy can profoundly impact your business.
Both sessions aim to equip attendees with practical frameworks for enhancing customer relationships, fostering innovation and driving sustainable growth in the increasingly competitive pet space.
Kevin Ryan
Kevin Ryan
Ryan Estis
