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Muenster Announces Launch of Kibble Plus Product

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MUENSTER, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Muenster Milling Company (“Muenster”), a leading manufacturer of freeze-dried and extruded pet food, is excited to announce the launch of a new product format that will enable leading brands and retailers to address consumers’ demand for high-nutrition pet food at an affordable price.

Muenster’s kibble plus offering combines the company’s three core manufacturing capabilities – including extruded kibble, freeze-dried proteins, and blending – into one format to further fuel the freeze-dried and kibble plus category, one of the fastest-growing segments of pet food. Retail sales for the segment were $1.2 billion in the 52 weeks ending July 20241, up 17% over the prior-year period.

Freeze-dried meals are an affordability challenge for millions of pet owners, with a retail price per pound averaging $36, compared to $2.50 for conventional kibble. Kibble plus creates a more affordable way for pet parents to provide the nutritional benefits of freeze-dried. Pet parents can affordably build a more nutritious bowl for their furry family members for a modest premium to regular kibble.

Jim Holdrieth, CEO of Muenster, said, “Given our unique capabilities to produce and blend both extruded product and freeze-dried inclusions, kibble plus became an obvious platform for us to address the needs of pet owners in this fast-growing segment. As the leading provider of co-manufacturing and private label development in the freeze-dried category, our capabilities offer leading brands and retailers the ability to mix and match kibble and freeze-dried in a logistically cost-effective manner. Additionally, our investment into industry leading quality standards and procedures gives brands the peace of mind knowing that we are basic on all manufacturing of the finished product.”

“We are excited to be a one-stop partner that can produce and blend kibble with freeze-dried inclusions for our customers,” said Dave DeLorenzo, Muenster’s VP of Sales, Marketing and Commercialization. “Our new freeze-dried facility has an advanced blending system that can combine multiple freeze-dried inclusions with various innovative shapes of kibble that ensures well-distributed, gently mixed food. Combined with our high-speed packaging solutions from 1oz samples to large bags, our customers can deliver a freeze-dried feeding experience at an accessible price point, providing significant value to pet parents.”

About Muenster Milling Company

Founded in 1932, Muenster Milling is a manufacturer of freeze-dried pet food, treats, and inclusions, as well as kibble. The Company provides contract manufacturing and private label solutions for leading brands and retailers at www.MMCprivatelabel.com. For customer or sales inquiries, please reach out to dave@muenstermilling.com.

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1 Internal analysis from multiple industry sources.

Contacts

Media:
Mark Semer / Gwyn Hodges
Gasthalter & Co.
(212) 257-4170

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Muenster Adds to Executive Leadership Team with New CFO and Sales Leadership

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DENTON, Texas–BUSINESS WIRE–Muenster Milling Company (“Muenster”), a leading manufacturer of freeze-dried and extruded pet food, today announced the addition of industry veterans to its executive leadership team. Matt Donnell joins as Chief Financial Officer, Dave DeLorenzo joins as Vice President Sales, Marketing & Commercialization, and Andrew Chatterton joins as Director of Sales.

“We are thrilled to welcome Matt, Dave, and Andrew to the Muenster team as we strive to be the preferred supplier of freeze-dried meals, treats, and inclusions to pet brands and retailers,” said Jim Holdrieth, CEO of Muenster Milling. “Matt is an operationally oriented CFO who has significant experience in contract manufacturing businesses that focus on custom specialty ingredients. Dave has a unique sales and marketing skill set that will be valuable to our customers as they scale their brands and drive innovation. Andrew has global pet experience across all channels that will help our customers optimize their omni-channel strategy. At the end of the day, we are more than a manufacturer of pet food, but a strategic thought partner to our customers that provides product innovation and marketing insights to accelerate their growth and maximize their profits.”

Matt Donnell has more than 30 years of experience in a variety of financial leadership roles. He was most recently CFO of Parker Products, a manufacturer of custom specialty ingredients for well-known food and beverage companies. Before Parker Products, Matt was COO and CFO of United 1 International Laboratories, a contract manufacturer of dietary supplements, sports nutrition and personal care products that specializes in product development and formulation.

Dave DeLorenzo is a veteran commercial pet executive with over 30 years of experience at Mars, Manna Pro / Compana Pet Brands, and Vetscience (d.b.a. Fruitables). He has grown and scaled large, medium, and start-up pet brands in a variety of sales and marketing roles. Dave has provided strategic direction, sales planning, consumer promotion / customer marketing management, and led teams of marketing, finance, R&D, manufacturing, procurement, and logistics associates to launch new pet products and programs. He has developed and executed numerous go-to-market plans for pet brands across every channel of trade, including direct-to-consumer.

Andrew Chatterton has more than 25 years of management experience in the global pet care industry with brands across pet specialty, e-commerce, FDMC, and international channels. Most recently, he was EVP Pet & Farm for Compana Pet Brands where he managed key retail and distribution accounts. Before Compana, Andrew was SVP Global Sales for Hero Pet Brands, Director of Sales at Nestle Purina, and Director of Sales at Retail Products Group.

These senior hires follow the completion of Muenster’s new vertically integrated, freeze-drying facility located in Denton, Texas in March.

About Muenster Milling Company

Founded in 1932, Muenster Milling is a manufacturer of freeze-dried pet food, treats, and inclusions, as well as kibble. The Company provides contract manufacturing and private label solutions for leading brands and retailers. The Muenster brand is sold in the pet specialty channel and the e-commerce channel, while its customized kibble offering is sold exclusively on its website www.muensterpet.com.

 

Contacts

Mark Semer / Gwyn Hodges
Gasthalter & Co.
(212) 257-4170

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Muenster Announces Launch of Kibble Plus Product

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Muenster Milling Names Jim Holdrieth as President and CEO

Kainos Capital Acquires Muenster Milling, Family-Owned Pet Food and Ingredient Manufacturer

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Proprietary Transaction Builds on Kainos’ History of Partnership with Family-Owned Manufacturing Businesses

Dallas, TX, August 12, 2021 – Kainos Capital, a private equity firm specializing in acquiring and managing food and consumer businesses, is pleased to announce that it has partnered with Mitch and Chad Felderhoff to acquire their family business, Muenster Milling (“Muenster”), a fourth-generation pet food and ingredient manufacturer based in Texas.

Andrew Rosen, Managing Partner of Kainos, said, “We are excited to add Muenster to the Kainos portfolio of companies and to partner with owners Mitch and Chad to build a broader platform in the pet food and ingredient space. We believe Muenster has a powerful value proposition to pet owners seeking clean-label, high-protein and convenient pet food and treats. The Kainos team has been investing behind these themes for many years, and we plan to leverage the Kainos Operations Team to expand and further professionalize Muenster’s manufacturing capabilities.”

“We were introduced to the Felderhoff brothers through our industry relationships and have always appreciated Muenster’s reputation as a first-rate operator with products that truly meet the needs of today’s pet owners,” added Kevin Elliott, Partner of Kainos. “Through this proprietary transaction we are honored to be a part of the next phase of growth for this fast-growing and innovative pet food manufacturing and branded business.”

Mitch Felderhoff said, “We are excited to partner with the team at Kainos Capital, which has been consistently successful in supporting family-founded, growing businesses with their operational expertise, consumer knowledge, and industry relationships with retailers and distributors.” Chad Felderhoff added, “It is very important to us that Kainos values and appreciates the culture that our family has built at Muenster Milling since 1932. Their operational capabilities will be invaluable as we scale the business and add capacity for future growth.”

Jeff Moredock, Principal at Kainos, added, “Muenster is an outstanding company with a strong commitment to innovation and quality. We look forward to implementing the Kainos Change Capital strategy together with the Muenster team.”

About Muenster Milling

Muenster Milling is a 4th-generation, family-owned pet food and ingredients manufacturer located in Muenster, Texas. Since 1932, Muenster has built lasting, impactful relationships with farmers, suppliers, customers, communities, and animals. Muenster specializes in making innovative, freeze-dried and extruded dog food, cat food, and horse feed with a focus on high quality ingredients to provide healthy options for pet owners to feed their pets. For more information, visit www.muenstermilling.com/.

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Muenster Milling Names Jim Holdrieth as President and CEO

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Muenster, Texas . – November 15, 2023 — Muenster Milling Company (“Muenster”), a manufacturer of freeze-dried and extruded pet food sold under its brand as well as for other well-known pet food brands, today announced the appointment of Jim Holdrieth as President and CEO. Most recently, Mr. Holdrieth served as CEO of Florida Food Products (“FFP”), a formulator and manufacturer of natural and clean label ingredients for the food, beverage, sports and pet nutrition industries.

Muenster is a portfolio company of Kainos Capital, a consumer-focused private equity firm that invests in strategically relevant companies in the food, pet, consumer products and services sectors. FFP is a former portfolio company of Kainos.

Mr. Holdrieth is a veteran food ingredient executive with over 30 years of manufacturing experience. During his tenure at FFP, he successfully expanded manufacturing operations and commercialized new technologies that enabled customers to launch innovative products. Previously, Mr. Holdrieth led the North American Food Ingredients business of Balchem, including its Sensory Effects division.

Fourth-generation Muenster family owners Mitch and Chad Felderhoff said, “We could not be happier to welcome Jim Holdrieth into the Muenster family. We are confident that Jim will build on Muenster’s commitment to excellence in pet food manufacturing, including food safety, innovation, and exceeding customer expectations.”

“We have a long history with Jim, who oversaw transformational growth at our investment in Florida Food Products,” said Kevin Elliott, Partner at Kainos Capital. “He is the right leader for Muenster at this time as we dramatically scale the company’s manufacturing and new product development capabilities.”

“Muenster is well recognized as an innovative partner to the leading brands in the pet food market,” said Jeff Moredock, Principal at Kainos Capital. “Jim’s unwavering commitment to customer service and his process-driven approach to commercializing innovative food manufacturing technologies will enable Muenster to play a pivotal role in helping these brands meet the growing consumer demand for freeze-dried pet food.”

Mr. Holdrieth said, “The Felderhoff family has built a terrific pet food business with attractive growth potential as consumers move toward ‘better for my pet’ meals and treats. I am especially excited about the company’s new freeze-dried manufacturing facility that is vertically integrated with a full suite of packaging solutions for customers, as my background in food ingredient manufacturing gives me an appreciation for how freeze-dried proteins can play a strategic role for customers given its versatility and nutritional benefits. I am excited to continue Muenster’s 92-year legacy while leading its transformation into a market leader within the freeze-dried category.”

About Muenster Milling Company

Founded in 1932, Muenster Milling is a manufacturer and marketer of freeze-dried and extruded pet food and inclusions. The company provides contract manufacturing and private label solutions for leading brands and retailers and also sells its products under its own Muenster brand which is sold in pet specialty and e-commerce channels. The company also provides a customized kibble offering that can be formulated by customers. All of the Muenster branded products can be found on its website www.muenstermilling.com.

About Kainos Capital

Kainos Capital is a middle-market private equity firm with a focus on the food, pet, consumer products and services sectors. The Kainos team has extensive investment and operating experience in the industry, having invested approximately $3 billion of equity in more than 40 transactions with a total transaction value of over $6 billion. The Firm’s strategy is to build a diversified portfolio of growing and strategically relevant food and consumer businesses.

For more information, visit Kainos Capital’s website at www.kainoscapital.com.

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Muenster Milling Names Jim Holdrieth as President and CEO

Muenster Milling Opens New Freeze-Drying Facility

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Muenster, Texas, March [13], 2024 – Muenster Milling Company (“Muenster”), an extruded and freeze-dried pet food manufacturer, today announced the completion of its new freeze-drying facility in Denton, Texas. The new, vertically-integrated facility includes raw meat processing capabilities that can produce a variety of protein blends and nutritional profiles, state-of-the-art freeze drying, and turnkey retail packaging in many sizes. With the opening of the new facility and warehouse, which occupy nearly 120,000 square feet, Muenster now operates more than twenty freeze dryers, with capacity to add more.

Muenster has in-house product design and formulation capabilities to complement its customers’ development efforts, and its new freeze-drying facility can process and form several popular proteins in a variety of shapes and sizes. Muenster can formulate and produce 100% freeze-dried complete and balanced meals, functional freeze-dried treats and toppers as well as single ingredient treats. Muenster also offers customers a variety of kill step options that meet their brand requirements.  

Leveraging Muenster’s existing kibble extrusion capabilities, the facility has automated mixing and blending equipment to produce ‘Kibble Plus’ and ‘Freeze Dried Plus’ product formats, which pair one or multiple different freeze-dried proteins with kibble and freeze-dried vegetables. The facility is also equipped with automated packaging equipment that can run sizes from 1 oz. sample packages to 5lb bags. 

Muenster has invested heavily in its R&D and quality organization to deliver the highest quality pet food products in the market. Muenster’s in-house R&D capabilities include formulation and product development to help customers create products that fit their specific needs and product formats. Additionally, with Muenster’s extrusion facility, customers have a full turnkey contract manufacturer for kibble as a component to their product.  

Jim Holdrieth, CEO of Muenster Milling, said, “Freeze dried is a versatile product format that can be a meal, functional treat, inclusion, or topper, and it remains one of the fastest growing categories within pet food, experiencing double digit volume growth and $1 billion of sales in 2023. Many brands are increasingly looking to enter or grow within the category, and they require sophisticated manufacturing partners to help them do so. This new facility has all the capabilities under one roof that brands and retailers need to bring their innovation pipelines to life.”

About Muenster Milling Company

Founded in 1932, Muenster Milling is a manufacturer and marketer of freeze-dried and extruded pet food and inclusions. The company provides contract manufacturing and private label solutions for leading brands and retailers as well as sells products under its own Muenster brand in pet specialty and e-commerce channels. More information on Muenster’s manufacturing capabilities can be found on its website www.MMCPrivateLabel.com. The company also provides a customized kibble offering that can be ordered directly by consumers.  All of the Muenster branded products can be found on its website www.muensterpet.com. For customer or sales inquiries, please email whitelabel@muenstermilling.com.

Contacts
Mark Semer / Sam Fisher
Gasthalter & Co.
(212) 257-4170

Recent News

Muenster Announces Launch of Kibble Plus Product

Muenster Adds to Executive Leadership Team with New CFO and Sales Leadership

Kainos Capital Acquires Muenster Milling, Family-Owned Pet Food and Ingredient Manufacturer

Muenster Milling Names Jim Holdrieth as President and CEO