Vital Essentials

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

Product category

Raw Pet Food

NAICS

Dog and Cat Food Manufacturing (311111)

SIC

Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYAFADAFAD

Freeze-Dried & Dehydrated Pet Food

Agriculture & Food Production/Animal Feed Manufacturing/Pet Food & Specialty Companion Animal Feed

SECONDARYAFADAFAE

Raw & Fresh Pet Food (Refrigerated/Frozen)

Agriculture & Food Production/Animal Feed Manufacturing/Pet Food & Specialty Companion Animal Feed

SECONDARYAFADAFAF

Pet Treats & Chews

Agriculture & Food Production/Animal Feed Manufacturing/Pet Food & Specialty Companion Animal Feed

Keywords

• Raw pet food
• Freeze-dried dog treats
• Frozen raw entrees
• Butcher cut protein
• Pet nutrition

Headquarters

HQ city

Bellevue

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. 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

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core 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

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Hollywood FeedcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 3 November 2025Vital 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

Direct 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

• Instagraminstagram.com/explore/tags/vitalessentials
• Xx.com/VitalEssentRaw
• Facebookfacebook.com/VitalEssentialsRaw

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Vital Essentials