What Dyets does

Dyets, Inc. is a privately held, founder/management-controlled specialty manufacturer founded on July 1, 1979 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, that custom-formulates purified research diets for laboratory animals. The company produces AIN-76A, AIN-93G, and AIN-93M purified diets, L-Amino Acid defined diets, liquid diets (including ethanol/Lieber-DeCarli formulations), and fresh-food-based pelleted diets, alongside pre-formulated mineral and vitamin mixes, individual ingredients, and ancillary laboratory equipment such as feeding jars and sipper tubes. Manufacturing processes include gamma irradiation sterilization for both L-Amino Acid and casein-based sterile diets, and the company holds two U.S. patents covering modified AIN-93G and AIN-93M formulations (issued 1994 and 1996).

Dyets sells directly to research scientists at universities, medical schools, government research facilities, and pharmaceutical laboratories via phone, fax, email, and online ordering, with international shipments coordinated using USDA health certificates and customs brokerage at the buyer-arranged end. Pricing is tiered by quantity (for example, vitamin mixes range from $20–$50/kg and feeding tubes from $3–$35 per unit), with 5–20% discounts on 125–1,000 kg repeat orders, gamma irradiation priced at approximately $1,100 per batch, and free irradiation processing offered for orders placed by the first of every even-numbered month. Custom diets are typically prepared within seven business days, with a standing-purchase-order system available for ongoing research programs.

The company began as a two-man operation between co-founders Howard L. Yowell and Donald H. Yowell and now operates with six department leaders averaging 15 years of tenure, an indicator of institutional continuity. Donald H. Yowell Sr. passed away in 2019, and Lisa Wagner currently serves as President with Warren Smith as Vice President. Notable research collaborations include a partnership with Dr. Jeffrey Gordon's lab at Washington University that produced studies published in Science and Cell in 2016, and the company maintains an external consultant, Dr. David M. Klurfeld, with prior USDA and academic credentials. No AI/ML capabilities, no external funding rounds, no acquisitions, no subsidiaries, and no public listing are disclosed.

Name

Dyets

Legal name

Dyets, Inc.

Website

https://dyets.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Dyets, Inc. is a privately held Bethlehem, Pennsylvania manufacturer founded in 1979 that custom-formulates purified laboratory animal diets — including AIN-93, L-Amino Acid, liquid, and fresh-food formulations — for academic, government, and pharmaceutical research laboratories in the U.S. and internationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Laboratory Animal Nutrition / Research Diet Manufacturing

NAICS

Other Animal Food Manufacturing (311119), Animal Food Manufacturing (31111)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000), Laboratory Apparatus & Furniture (3821)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Diet Formulation (starter/finisher, transition diets, heat-stress, high-forage, low-starch) (AFADAMAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Specialty Small Animal Feed (Rabbits, Guinea Pigs, Ferrets, etc.) (AFADAFAI)

Keywords

• Laboratory animal diets
• Custom research diets
• Purified rodent diets
• AIN-93 formulations
• Gamma irradiation sterilization

Headquarters

HQ city

Bethlehem

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Custom Diet Manufacturing: Custom formulated diets manufactured to individual researcher specifications. Orders typically prepared within 7 business days. Prices vary by diet complexity and quantity (5%-20% discounts for 125-1000 kg orders of same diet).
2. Laboratory Animal Ingredients: Sells individual ingredients used in purified diet manufacturing. Ingredients are not pre-packaged; orders are packaged from high-quality ingredients. Small quantities may incur packaging fees.
3. Laboratory Equipment and Supplies: Feeding jars, drinking tubes, sipper tubes, and accessories. Prices based on quantity tiers (1-49, 50-99, 100+ units).
4. Vitamin and Mineral Mixes: Pre-formulated vitamin and mineral mixes sold by kilogram with quantity-based pricing tiers.
5. Gamma Irradiation Services: Sterilization processing service for custom diets. Approximately $1,100/batch plus optional U.S.P. sterility testing. Free processing for orders placed by first day of February, April, June, August, October, and December.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Dyets custom-manufactures purified and defined research diets for laboratory animals (rats, mice, guinea pigs, hamsters, gerbils, cats, dogs, ferrets, rabbits, pigs, monkeys, woodchucks) following American Institute of Nutrition (AIN-76A, AIN-93G, AIN-93M) standards, with variation in any constituent to meet exact researcher specifications. The portfolio spans standard purified diets, L-Amino Acid defined diets, ethanol/control liquid diets, fresh food diets, plus pre-formulated vitamin and mineral mixes, laboratory feeding equipment (sipper tubes, feeding jars, drinking tubes), bulk ingredients, and gamma irradiation sterilization services.

Product overview

Dyets is a custom laboratory animal diet manufacturer offering a comprehensive portfolio of research diet products and services. The core offering consists of custom-manufactured purified diets (AIN-76A, AIN-93G, AIN-93M formulations) available in multiple delivery formats including standard purified diets, L-Amino Acid defined diets, liquid diets, and fresh food diets. Supporting products include pre-formulated mineral mixes and vitamin mixes in various species-specific compositions, laboratory equipment (sipper tubes, feeding jars, drinking tubes), and gamma irradiation sterilization services. The company provides ingredients for researchers who prefer to prepare their own formulations. The portfolio is unified by the custom manufacturing capability, allowing researchers to vary any constituent (vitamins, minerals, macronutrients) to meet specific experimental requirements across rat, mouse, guinea pig, hamster, and other laboratory animal species.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Custom Diets for Lab Animals Custom-manufactured purified research diets formulated to individual researcher specifications for rats, mice, guinea pigs, hamsters, gerbils, cats, dogs, ferrets, rabbits, pigs, monkeys, and woodchucks, with variation in vitamin, mineral, and macronutrient (protein, carbohydrate, fat, fiber) levels.
• AIN Purified Diets AIN-76A, AIN-93G, and AIN-93M purified rodent diet formulations following American Institute of Nutrition standards, available in casein-based, L-amino acid defined, cereal-based, and liquid diet forms.
• L-Amino Acid Diets L-Amino Acid based defined diets for rats and mice with homogeneous blending of test chemicals regardless of physical properties, including AIN-93G and AIN-93M L-AA defined formulations for precise amino acid control.
• Vitamin Mixes Pre-formulated vitamin mix compositions including AIN-76A, AIN-93VX, Lieber-DeCarli, and species-specific mixes for monkeys, guinea pigs, rabbits, chicks, hamsters, cats, and dogs, priced per kilogram by quantity tier.
• Mineral Mixes Pre-formulated mineral mix compositions including AIN-93G MX, AIN-93M MX, AIN-76, Bernhart-Tomarelli, Fox Briggs N, and species-specific mixes for rabbits, chicks, guinea pigs, hamsters, cats, dogs, ferrets, and swine.
• Liquid Diet Mineral Mixes Specialized mineral mixes formulated for liquid diet applications, including AIN-93G, AIN-93M, AIN-76A, and Lieber-DeCarli liquid diet mineral formulations.
• Ethanol Liquid Diets Liquid ethanol diet formulations including Lieber-DeCarli Regular, Low Fat, and High Protein variants, plus Liquid AIN-76A and AIN-93 formulations, used in alcohol research studies.
• Modified Formulas of AIN-93G and M Diets Modified AIN-93G and AIN-93M formulations designed to meet 1995 NRC nutrient requirements for rats and mice during maintenance, gestation, or lactation, with protein sources including casein, soy isolate, egg white, wheat gluten, or lactalbumin; protected by U.S. Patents 5,354,129 (1994) and 5,462,355 (1996).
• Fresh Food Diets Custom pelleted diets manufactured from fresh food recipes (spinach, mustard greens, peanut butter, bananas, tilapia, chicken, onions, tomatoes, eggs, etc.), vacuum packed and gamma irradiated to order; developed in collaboration with Dr. Michael Barratt at Washington University's Dr. Jeffrey Gordon lab.
• Ingredients Individual ingredients for diet preparation including agar, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, oils, carbohydrates, fiber, and specialized compounds, packaged from bulk supplies used in purified diet manufacturing (small quantities may incur packaging fees).
• Laboratory Sipper Tubes Stainless steel sipper tubes for liquid diet feeding, available in bent and straight configurations in 3-inch and 3.5-inch lengths.
• Feeding Jars and Accessories Feeding jars (4 oz.) with stainless steel holders, lids, and food followers for powdered diets in laboratory settings, complete with quantity-tier pricing.
• Drinking Tubes and Holders Graduated drinking tubes (30ml, 50ml, 100ml, 120ml, 150ml) with screw lids and tube holders; quantity-tiered pricing for laboratory animal watering.
• Gamma Irradiation Services Sterile diet processing via gamma irradiation for L-Amino Acid defined and casein-based custom diets in pellet, powder, or liquid forms; free batch processing when ordered by the first of February, April, June, August, October, or December, with optional U.S.P. sterility testing at additional charge.

Quantifiable outcome

• Custom formulations since 1979 with very low employee turnover

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Envigo Teklad Custom Diets: Custom diet service line of Inotiv/Envigo (formerly Teklad) offering made-to-order research diets for rodents and other species; direct competitor to Dyets' custom formulation business under a larger commercial umbrella.
• Envigo (now Inotiv): Major lab animal products supplier (Teklad diets) with broader portfolio spanning standard and custom diets, research models, and preclinical services; competes with Dyets on custom formulation and is a much larger incumbent.
• LabDiet (PMI Nutrition International): Standardized laboratory animal diets (Purina-derived formulations) serving the same academic and pharma research buyer; adjacent rather than direct on custom work but overlaps in standard chow categories.

Direct peers

• Bio-Serv: Custom research diets and treats for rodents and other lab species; comparable made-to-order formulation capability and similar academic/Biopharma customer base as Dyets.
• Research Diets, Inc. Direct competitor in custom purified and L-amino acid defined rodent diets; comparable product lines (AIN-76A, AIN-93G/M), B2B sales to academic labs, and overlapping switch-cost dynamics from cited diet numbers.

Others

• Charles River Laboratories: Large CRO and research models supplier that purchases and uses research diets as inputs to in-house preclinical studies; adjacent customer of the lab animal diet supply chain that Dyets serves.

Emerging players

• MP Biomedicals: Life science supplier with research diet ingredients and small-quantity diet offerings; competes at the ingredient/sub-product end of Dyets' catalog (vitamins, minerals, amino acids).

Regional players

• SAFE (Scientific Animal Food & Engineering): French producer of custom and standard laboratory animal diets, including purified and gamma-irradiated formulations; comparable product mix to Dyets but primarily serves European research labs.
• Altromin Spezialfutter: German manufacturer of standardized and custom diets for laboratory animals, including maintenance and breeding formulations; competes in the same purified/defined diet space as Dyets with European customer overlap.
• ssniff Spezialdiäten GmbH: German manufacturer of standardized and custom laboratory animal diets with AIN-formulated offerings; serves European research institutions with comparable purified diet products.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

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 Dyets