What Nutro does

Nutro is a 100-year-old natural pet food brand headquartered in Franklin, Tennessee, and a wholly owned subsidiary of Mars, Incorporated (acquired in 2007). The company formulates, manufactures, and sells dry food, wet food, and treats for dogs and cats across a structured sub-brand portfolio: NATURAL CHOICE (core natural), NUTRO ULTRA (premium trio-protein with superfoods), Limited Ingredient Diet (sensitivities-focused, 10 or fewer key ingredients), NUTRO MAX (everyday value), SO SIMPLE (simplified recipes), WHOLESOME ESSENTIALS (cat daily nutrition), and PERFECT PORTIONS (portion-controlled wet cat food). Products are manufactured across seven owned facilities in the U.S. (Henderson, Victorville, Columbus, Fort Smith, North Sioux City) and Thailand, and are AAFCO-formulated for specific life stages with marketing claims including a 25-day skin-and-coat guarantee.

The brand sells through a multi-channel distribution network spanning pet specialty retailers (PetSmart, Petco), mass-market retailers (Walmart, Target), and e-commerce platforms (Amazon, Chewy), augmented by direct purchase from nutro.com and a $3 rebate email-acquisition program. Marketing emphasizes ingredient transparency via an online ingredient glossary, sustainability through the GREATER GROUND soil-health program (launched 2022 with a $5 million five-year commitment and partnerships with Understanding Ag, Anchor Ingredients, and Kiss the Ground), and a digital extension layer — notably Pawscan, an AI-powered computer-vision tool that analyzes uploaded dog paw photos for hot spots, integrated with the Sensitive Support Center. Revenue derives entirely from unit-priced CPG sales; no subscription, licensing, or B2B revenue model is disclosed.

Ownership by Mars, Incorporated provides conglomerate-scale procurement, manufacturing, and distribution leverage, while Nutro operates as a distinct premium-natural brand within the Mars Pet Nutrition portfolio. The 2026 centennial is being marked by the launch of Natural Choice Recipes Sensitive Skin & Stomach Guarantee, reinforcing the brand's positioning around ingredient quality, clinical-style claims, and sustainability storytelling rather than price disruption.

Name

Nutro

Legal name

The NUTRO Company

Website

https://nutro.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1926

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Nutro is a 100-year-old natural pet food brand, owned by Mars, Incorporated, that formulates and sells dry food, wet food, and treats for dogs and cats across multiple sub-brands through PetSmart, Petco, Walmart, Target, Amazon, Chewy, and its own website.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pet Food

NAICS

Dog and Cat Food Manufacturing (311111), Animal Food Manufacturing (3111), Pet and Pet Supplies Retailers (459910)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Natural/Organic & Limited-Ingredient Diets (CRADAFAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Functional & Veterinary Diet Pet Food (CRADAFAF), Dry Pet Food (Kibble) (AFADAFAA), Fresh & Refrigerated Pet Food (CRADAFAC)

Keywords

• Natural pet food
• Dry dog food
• Wet cat food
• Pet treats
• Limited ingredient diet

Headquarters

HQ city

Franklin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Pet Food and Treats Sales: NUTRO generates revenue through the sale of dry food, wet food, and treats for dogs and cats across multiple product lines including NATURAL CHOICE, ULTRA, Limited Ingredient Diet, MAX, and SO SIMPLE. Products are sold through retail partners, e-commerce platforms, and direct-to-consumer channels.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

NUTRO manufactures and sells natural pet food products — dry food, wet food, and treats for dogs and cats — organized across multiple sub-brands (NATURAL CHOICE, NUTRO ULTRA, Limited Ingredient Diet, NUTRO MAX, SO SIMPLE, WHOLESOME ESSENTIALS, PERFECT PORTIONS). The brand emphasizes ingredient transparency, high-quality protein sources, and natural formulations, and offers the AI-powered Pawscan tool and a Sensitive Support Center as adjunct resources for pet parents.

Product overview

NUTRO is a natural pet food brand (founded 1926, part of Mars, Incorporated since 2007) offering a portfolio of dry food, wet food, and treats for dogs and cats. The product lineup consists of multiple sub-brands: NATURAL CHOICE (core formula with essential nutrients), NUTRO ULTRA (premium with trio of proteins and superfoods), Limited Ingredient Diet (sensitivities-focused with 10 or fewer ingredients), NUTRO MAX (everyday value), SO SIMPLE (simplified recipes), WHOLESOME ESSENTIALS (cat daily nutrition), and PERFECT PORTIONS (convenient wet cat food servings). Products are categorized by food type (dry, wet, grain-free), lifestage (puppy, adult, senior, kitten), and breed size (small, large, all breeds). The brand also offers Pawscan, an AI-powered paw health assessment tool, and a Sensitive Support Center with educational resources. All products carry a 100% satisfaction guarantee.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NATURAL CHOICE™: High-quality protein sources with wholesome ingredients rooted in nature. Dry dog food sub-brand.
• NUTRO ULTRA™
• Limited Ingredient Diet
• NUTRO™ MAX™
• SO SIMPLE™
• WHOLESOME ESSENTIALS™
• PERFECT PORTIONS™

Products and services

• NATURAL CHOICE Core dog food sub-brand formulated with essential nutrients for whole-body health, featuring high-quality protein sources and wholesome ingredients rooted in nature. Targeted at adult dogs and available across lifestages and breed sizes.
• NUTRO ULTRA Premium dog food sub-brand featuring a trio of animal proteins (chicken, lamb, salmon) and 14 superfoods for protein-rich gourmet nutrition. Positioned as the high-end tier of the NUTRO dog lineup.
• Limited Ingredient Diet
• NUTRO MAX
• SO SIMPLE
• WHOLESOME ESSENTIALS
• PERFECT PORTIONS
• Dry Food (Dogs and Cats)
• Wet Food (Dogs and Cats)
• Grain-Free (Dogs and Cats)
• Crunchy Treats
• Pawscan AI-powered computer-vision tool that analyzes photographs of a dog's paws to detect hot spots and signs of irritation, offering immediate guidance for pet parents on next steps for skin health.

Quantifiable outcome

• Guaranteed healthy skin and shiny coat in 25 days
• +4 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Understanding AgcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNUTRO partners with Understanding Ag as the soil education partner for the GREATER GROUND program. Understanding Ag provides custom, localized training for selected growers within the supply network on healthy soil practices through in-person classroom and field sessions and one-on-one mentorship. The partnership helps farmers adopt regenerative agricultural practices.
• Anchor IngredientscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnchor Ingredients is a strategic partner supplying barley, oats, and peas for NUTRO products. Through the GREATER GROUND program and Anchor Ingredients, growers are helped to better understand and implement soil health practices. Headquartered in Fargo, North Dakota, Anchor cultivates deep connections with growers with a focus on quality ingredients, supply chain transparency, and sustainability commitment.
• Kiss the GroundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNUTRO and Kiss the Ground partnered to launch a program to raise awareness about healthy soil. The partnership aims to drive change for soil health by amplifying, educating, and building support for healthy soil action. They developed a short video 'Tail of Two Farms' and a mini documentary series 'Stories of Regeneration' spotlighting growers nurturing healthy soil.
• Healthy Food Ingredients (HFI)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthy Food Ingredients was a key barley supplier and the first to participate in the GREATER GROUND program to gather and analyze soil health data. Due to sourcing shifts in late 2024, NUTRO no longer sources barley from HFI. HFI continues participating in the GREATER GROUND program to promote healthy soil practices with their farmers and remains a supplier for Mars Pet Nutrition North America.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Blue Buffalo: Blue Buffalo is a leading natural pet food brand competing head-to-head with NUTRO in dry, wet, and treats for dogs and cats. It is also owned by Mars, Incorporated (acquired in 2018), making it a sister brand in the same Mars Pet Nutrition portfolio with overlapping natural-premium positioning.
• Hill's Pet Nutrition: Hill's (owned by Colgate-Palmolive) is a science-led pet food brand offering dry and wet foods for dogs and cats with life-stage and clinical/specialty formulations (Science Diet, Prescription Diet). It is directly comparable to NUTRO across retail channels and sub-brand portfolio structure.
• Purina (Nestlé Purina PetCare): Purina is the global volume leader in pet food with Pro Plan, ONE, Friskies, Fancy Feast, and Beneful. It overlaps NUTRO most directly in Pro Plan/ONE natural and life-stage formulations, distributed across the same U.S. mass and pet specialty retailers.
• Royal Canin: Royal Canin (owned by Mars, Incorporated) is a premium breed- and life-stage-specific pet nutrition brand. Like NUTRO it sits inside Mars Pet Nutrition and competes for the same premium, science-formulated consumer in pet specialty and veterinary channels.
• Wellness Pet Company: Wellness offers natural dry, wet, and treat lines (CORE, Complete Health, Simple) for dogs and cats, with limited-ingredient and grain-free options that mirror NUTRO's portfolio breadth. Distributed in the same pet specialty and e-commerce channels.
• Orijen / Acana (Champion Petfoods): Champion Petfoods makes Orijen and Acana, premium natural pet foods emphasizing fresh regional ingredients and high protein content — directly competing with NUTRO ULTRA in the super-premium natural tier across specialty and DTC channels.
• Merrick Pet Care: Merrick offers grain-free, natural dry, wet, and treat pet foods under sub-brands (Backcountry, Lil' Plates, Healthy Grains), competing with NUTRO in natural-premium positioning across PetSmart, Petco, Chewy, and Amazon.
• Taste of the Wild: Taste of the Wild makes grain-free and ancestral-diet natural pet foods (roasted meats, novel proteins) sold through pet specialty and online. Overlaps NUTRO's Grain-Free sub-line and Limited Ingredient Diet positioning.
• Fromm Family Foods: Fromm is a fourth-generation, family-owned premium natural pet food maker with dry, wet, and treat lines for dogs and cats. Comparable to NUTRO on natural-ingredient positioning and family-brand heritage, distributed across pet specialty and e-commerce.
• Canidae: Canidae produces natural, limited-ingredient, and grain-free dry and wet pet foods, including Pure and Goodness recipes. Directly comparable to NUTRO's natural and Limited Ingredient Diet sub-brands in mass and specialty retail channels.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@NUTROBrand
• Facebookfacebook.com/NUTROBrand
• Instagraminstagram.com/nutropetfood
• Xx.com/nutrobrand
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-nutro-company

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 Nutro