Based in Secaucus, New Jersey, Freshpet offers quality refrigerated pet food for its customers. Pets may choose from a selection of all natural and minimally processed meals ranging from meats to fishes, having managed to create it’s own niche within the pet food industry.
As many Americans are becoming increasingly concerned with the care of their pets, CEO Richard Thompson saw an opportunity for growth. By being one of the first to provide fresh, refrigerated pet food, Freshpet has hit a key point of difference. This has allowed them to reposition themselves in consumer’s minds as the leading company in refrigerated pet foods, as opposed to just another pet food companies. Due to this effective brand positioning, their growth has increased. But along with the new niche comes new challenges: packaging and distribution have proved to be more difficult. Freshpet must provide coolers and electricity where it is necessary. One good thing about this however is that it could increase the barriers to entry—producing fresh food is a much different process than producing normal food, and not many companies will be willing to provide for their own distribution systems and specialized production.
Personally, I think Freshpet has found the perfect opportunity for growth. Americans are continuously raising the standard of living for their pets, and more luxurious pet products are sure to attract in customers. Freshpet has definitely found a creative way to differentiate themselves from their past competitors.
Source– Heating Up a New Category: Refrigerated Pet Foods –Bloomberg Businessweek