Vital Essentials
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1968
- HeadquartersBellevue, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
Vital Essentials firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Vital Essentials
- Website
- https://vitalessentialsraw.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1968
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Vital Essentials industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Raw Pet Food
- NAICS
- Dog and Cat Food Manufacturing (311111)
- SIC
- Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Freeze-Dried & Dehydrated Pet Food (AFADAFAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Raw & Fresh Pet Food (Refrigerated/Frozen) (AFADAFAE), Pet Treats & Chews (AFADAFAF)
Keywords
Where Vital Essentials is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bellevue
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Vital Essentials business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Direct E-commerce Sales: Direct-to-consumer sales through vitalessentials.com website with both one-time purchase and subscription options. Subscription model offers 5% savings to drive recurring revenue.
- Retail Distribution: Products sold through retail pet store partners including Hollywood Feed's 174 neighborhood locations. Wholesale/channel revenue through pet retail distribution.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Freeze-Dried Minnows Dog Treats |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Various Freeze-Dried Treats (Beef Liver, Chicken Hearts, Duck Bites, Rabbit Bites, Salmon Bites) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Freeze-Dried Entrees/Mixer (Chicken Crunchy Mini Nibs) |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Vital Essentials product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Vital Essentials manufactures and sells premium raw pet food products for dogs and cats, including freeze-dried meal/mixers, frozen raw entrees, single-ingredient freeze-dried treats, and raw bar chews. Products contain up to 99% meat, organs, and bone with no grains, gluten, or preservatives. The company also offers a Nutrition Calculator tool to help pet owners build customized raw feeding plans.
Product overview
Vital Essentials is a raw pet food company offering a portfolio of freeze-dried and frozen raw food products for dogs and cats. The product lineup centers on five core categories: Freeze-Dried Meal/Mixers (complete entrees with up to 99% meat, organs, and bone), Frozen Entrees (shelf-stable frozen raw options), Dog Treats (single-ingredient freeze-dried proteins in varieties like beef liver, chicken hearts, duck, rabbit, salmon, chicken breast, turkey giblets, and minnows), Raw Bar treats (whole animal raw protein chews including beef tendon, turkey hearts, silver carp filet, and chicken necks), and Cat Treats. The company also provides a Nutrition Calculator tool as an add-on digital resource to help customers develop customized raw feeding plans. All products are grain-free, gluten-free, and proudly American crafted.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Freeze-Dried Meal/Mixers Freeze-dried complete meal products for dogs that serve as entrees or mixers, containing up to 99% meat, organs, and bone with no grains or gluten.
- Frozen Entrees Frozen raw food entrees for dogs that maintain nutritional integrity through cold storage as an alternative to traditional raw feeding.
- Dog Treats Single-ingredient, freeze-dried raw protein treats for dogs made from various animal proteins including beef liver, chicken hearts, duck, rabbit, salmon, chicken breast, turkey giblets, and minnows.
- Raw Bar Single-ingredient raw whole animal protein treats that support healthy chewing habits, including beef tendon, turkey hearts, silver carp filet, and chicken necks.
- Freeze-Dried Raw Minnows Dog Treats Single-ingredient freeze-dried minnow treats packed with whole animal butcher cut protein, providing naturally occurring vitamins and minerals. Benefits include cleaner teeth, immune and heart health support, and lean strong muscles.
- Cat Treats Freeze-dried and raw treats specifically formulated for cats, including minnow treats.
- Nutrition Calculator A digital tool available at my.vitalessentials.com that helps pet owners create custom raw feeding plans based on their dog's health needs and budget.
Quantifiable outcome
- Up to 99% meat, organs, and bone content in products
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Vital Essentials
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Vital Essentials technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Vital Essentials partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Hollywood FeedcoreVital Essentials expanded its product availability into Hollywood Feed, a pet store chain, bringing raw nutrition products to 174 neighborhood pet stores. This retail partnership increases physical accessibility of Vital Essentials products for pet owners who prefer in-store purchases.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Vital Essentials competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Stella & Chewy's: Direct competitor in premium freeze-dried and raw pet food for dogs and cats, with a similar product portfolio of single-ingredient proteins, raw meals, and treats sold through DTC and specialty retail.
- Primal Pet Foods: Direct competitor specializing in frozen and freeze-dried raw pet foods and treats, serving the same premium, raw-feeding consumer segment through similar DTC and specialty retail channels.
- Northwest Naturals: Direct peer producing raw and freeze-dried pet food products for dogs and cats, overlapping in single-protein treats, raw diets, and distribution through independent pet retailers.
- Open Farm: Premium pet food brand with strong positioning on ingredient sourcing and transparency; overlapping target customer (premium-conscious pet owners) and channel mix including DTC and specialty retail.
- Darwin's Natural Pet Products: Direct-to-consumer raw pet food company offering fresh, raw diets for dogs and cats; competes for the same raw-feeding customer via a similar subscription-DTC motion.
Broad incumbents
- Instinct (Nature's Variety): Established raw and freeze-dried pet food brand owned by a larger parent (Nature's Variety/Mid America Pet Food); competes in the same raw category with broader distribution and larger marketing budget.
- Orijen: Premium pet food brand from Champion Petfoods offering high-meat, biologically-appropriate diets; overlaps in premium positioning and ingredient quality narrative, with broader international distribution.
Emerging players
- The Farmer's Dog: Fast-growing fresh, human-grade dog food brand with a direct-to-consumer subscription model; competes for the same humanization-of-pets consumer, though positioned in fresh rather than raw/freeze-dried.
Regional players
- K9 Natural: New Zealand-based raw and freeze-dried pet food brand with comparable product format (frozen, freeze-dried) and target consumer, but primarily distributed outside the US market.
Others
- Hollywood Feed (retail partner/peer): Specialty pet retail chain and current key distribution partner for Vital Essentials; relevant as a customer and as a competitive retail environment where other raw pet food brands are also stocked.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Vital Essentials social profiles
Digital presenceVital Essentials financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Vital Essentials leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Vital Essentials funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Vital Essentials M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Vital Essentials
What does Vital Essentials do?
Vital Essentials manufactures and sells premium raw pet food products for dogs and cats, including freeze-dried meal/mixers, frozen raw entrees, single-ingredient freeze-dried treats, and raw bar chews. Products contain up to 99% meat, organs, and bone with no grains, gluten, or preservatives. The company also offers a Nutrition Calculator tool to help pet owners build customized raw feeding plans.
Is Vital Essentials a public or private company?
Vital Essentials is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Vital Essentials founded?
Vital Essentials was founded in 1968. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Vital Essentials based?
Vital Essentials is headquartered in Bellevue, United States, in the North America region.
How does Vital Essentials make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Direct E-commerce Sales are the primary driver. The others are retail Distribution.
Who are Vital Essentials's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Stella & Chewy's, Primal Pet Foods, Northwest Naturals, Open Farm and Darwin's Natural Pet Products. Broad incumbents are Instinct (Nature's Variety) and Orijen. The Farmer's Dog is listed as an emerging player. K9 Natural is listed as a regional player. Hollywood Feed (retail partner/peer) is listed as an others.
Does Vital Essentials have an API?
No public API is recorded for Vital Essentials.
What industry is Vital Essentials in?
Vital Essentials's product category is Raw Pet Food. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFADAFAD, Freeze-Dried & Dehydrated Pet Food, with a secondary code of AFADAFAE, Raw & Fresh Pet Food (Refrigerated/Frozen). Its NAICS code is 311111 and its SIC code is 2090.