Doggie desserts: Ben & Jerry’s enters the pet food stuff business enterprise

Consider your puppy justifies dessert? So does Ben & Jerry’s.

The venerable Vermont ice cream corporation mentioned Monday it’s introducing a line of frozen dog treats, its 1st foray into the profitable pet food stuff sector. Doggie Desserts, marketed in 4-ounce cups, go on sale in U.S. groceries and pet suppliers afterwards this thirty day period.

The treats appear in two flavors: pumpkin with cookies and peanut butter with pretzels. The two are created with a foundation of sunflower butter. They are designed from the identical ingredients Ben & Jerry’s takes advantage of in its non-dairy human desserts.

Ben & Jerry’s is the most up-to-date food items firm to pivot to pets, sensing chance as much more People in america obtain furry pals. The selection of U.S. homes with pets rose 6.5% to 84.9 million between 2015 and 2020, according to the American Pet Products Affiliation, a trade team.

Normal Mills, which can make Cheerios and Haagen-Dazs ice product, acquired the Blue Buffalo pet food items model in 2018. Jelly maker J.M. Smucker Co. acquired Significant Heart Pet Makes — which will make Meow Blend and Milk Bone — in 2015. 3 a long time later on, Smucker obtained Ainsworth Pet Nutrition, which makes Nutrish brand pet food stuff. And in April, Nestle acquired British natural pet foods brand name Lily’s Kitchen. Nestle has owned the Purina model considering that 2001.

Investing on puppy treats has ballooned, leaping 44% to $5.5 billion in between 2015 and 2020, in accordance to Euromonitor, a details agency. Millennials in distinct commit lavishly on their pets and look for pet products and solutions with human-grade components, Ben & Jerry’s explained.

Lindsay Bumps, a world wide advertising specialist with Ben & Jerry’s, claimed the business had been eyeing the exponential advancement in pet paying and began acquiring its pet treats early very last yr. The company consulted with a veterinary nutritionist, regulatory consultants and many others to make sure the treats are risk-free and effortless to digest, stated Bumps, who is also a accredited veterinary technician.

As with any address, entrepreneurs need to go gradual with the introduction, providing a spoonful at a time, Bumps explained. She prompt placing the dessert in a bowl so dogs have an simpler time navigating it. Bumps’ 9-calendar year-aged French bulldog, Spock, is a big supporter of the peanut butter taste.

The treats — $2.99 per cup or $4.99 for four — will be put around the popsicles in grocery retail outlet frozen food aisles, a couple of doorways down from Ben & Jerry’s ice cream.

The pivot to pets does not signify Ben & Jerry’s is viewing any slowdown on the human aspect. London-based mostly Unilever, which owns Ben & Jerry’s, reported in Oct that its ice product income for dwelling intake grew much more than 10% in the most modern quarter. Rattled individuals sought indulgent treats for the duration of the pandemic and stocked up on numerous pints in the course of much less recurrent grocery visits, Bumps mentioned.

“This is an chance for people to address their dogs as they are treating themselves when they get a pint off the shelf,” she claimed.