What Ketchum Manufacturing does

Ketchum Manufacturing Inc. is a Canadian specialty manufacturer founded in 1913 in Ottawa and now headquartered at 1245 California Avenue, Brockville, Ontario. The company produces metal and plastic identification tags, stamps, and signage products spanning three core divisions: Animal Identification (ear tags, tattooers, applicators for pigs, cattle, sheep/goats, poultry, dogs, horses, and research lab animals); Other Identification (hospitality signage, museum admission tags, industrial ID, municipal signage, forestry tags, promotional products, security seals, self-inking stamps, and crop signage); and Point of Sale Signage (custom shelf talkers, price tags, and merchandising materials for grocery and retail, plus meat/poultry processing traceability products and seafood identification tags). Manufacturing is consolidated at the Brockville facility, which combines metal stamping, plastic die cutting, digital printing, and CNC engraving under one roof.

Ketchum serves meat and poultry processors, the seafood industry (where it claims world-leading share for wild-caught and farmed seafood traceability tags), the broader livestock/agricultural industry, and secondary verticals including retail/grocery, hospitality, museums, and industrial/municipal customers. It supplies official government-approved inspection stamps across multiple Canadian provinces (CFIA, Alberta, Ontario, Nova Scotia) and ISO/PAS 17712-compliant high-security seals, embedding its products into regulated procurement workflows. The company is privately held, owned since 2017 by long-term employees Jason Baker and Kevin Dalrymple, with no external institutional investment disclosed. Headcount is reported at 101–250 employees.

The business model is primarily direct-to-consumer manufacturing sold through the company's own e-commerce website, supplemented by trade show distribution (Seafood Expo Global, World Pork Expo, Ontario Pork Congress) and multilingual product catalogues (English, Spanish, French, Russian, Chinese). Standard products carry published unit pricing ranging from ~$2 ear tags to ~$550 denaturant pails; custom products (custom carcass tags with a 5,000-piece minimum; custom merchandising signage with a 250-piece minimum) operate on a quote basis. Revenue is concentrated in one-time product sales across a fragmented, multi-vertical customer base spanning Canada, the United States, and Europe, with global footprint claims supported by the language diversity of its catalogue suite.

Name

Ketchum Manufacturing

Legal name

Ketchum Manufacturing Inc.

Website

https://ketchum.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1913

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Ketchum Manufacturing is a Canadian specialty manufacturer founded in 1913, producing metal and plastic identification tags, stamps, and signage for livestock, meat/poultry processors, seafood, retail, hospitality, and industrial markets worldwide via direct e-commerce and trade show channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Brockville

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Product Sales: One-time sales of identification tags, stamps, signage, and related products directly to customers through e-commerce platform
2. Custom Manufacturing: Custom printed identification and merchandising products with minimum order quantities (5000 for custom carcass tags, 250 for custom merchandising signage)

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Ketchum Manufacturing produces and distributes livestock identification and traceability products, including metal and plastic ear tags, tattoo equipment, carcass tags, inspection stamps, and grading stamps for meat and poultry processors. The company also manufactures seafood identification tags (gill, spear, hand-applied), self-inking stamps, custom point-of-purchase signage for retail/grocery, and identification products for hospitality, museums, industrial, and municipal customers. Manufacturing is performed in-house using metal stamping, plastic die cutting, digital printing, and CNC engraving capabilities.

Product overview

Ketchum Manufacturing is a Canadian identification products company founded in 1913, operating as a manufacturer of metal and plastic identification tags, stamps, and signage products. The product portfolio is organized across three main divisions: Animal Identification (including pig, cattle, poultry, sheep/goat, horse, dog, lab animal identification tags, tattoo equipment, and animal control products), Other Identification (covering hospitality signage, museum products, industrial ID, municipal signage, forestry, promotional products, seals, and self-inking stamps), and Point of Sale Signage (grocery/retail merchandising, meat/poultry processing traceability, and seafood identification). The company offers both stock products and custom manufacturing services including digital printing, CNC engraving, and die cutting. Key product lines include Trodat Printy self-inking stamps, Ardes ear tags, Ketchum branded meat marking inks and grading stamps, shoulder tattooers, security seals, and meat processing supplies. The company positions itself as providing identification solutions from birth to plate and beyond, serving livestock, food processing, hospitality, retail, and industrial markets worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Animal Identification Products Metal and plastic identification tags and related equipment for livestock including pigs, cattle, sheep/goats, poultry, dogs, horses, and research lab animals, used for traceability from birth.
• Meat & Poultry Processing Products Birth-to-plate traceability products including carcass tags, meat stamps, grading stamps, branding rollers, meat marking inks, tagging guns, denaturants, and meat straps for meat and poultry processors.
• Seafood Identification Tags Gill tags, spear tags, hand-applied tags, fish tagging products, and merchandising items used to identify and trace origins of wild caught and farmed seafood.
• Meat Grading & Inspection Stamps Official inspection stamps including Canada Inspection Brass Stamps, Beef Grading Stamps, Veal Grading Stamps, Alberta Approved Stamps, Ontario Approved Stamps, and Nova Scotia Approved Stamps for meat grading and regulatory marking.
• Ardes Ear Tags Extra-large and large ear tags for livestock identification with high retention rates, available blank or custom printed.
• Shoulder Tattooers Lever lock shoulder tattooers with fiberglass handles for livestock identification, available in 4-character and 5-character models, used with corresponding tattoo paste/ink.
• Trodat Printy Self-Inking Stamps Self-inking stamps including models 4910, 4911, 4912, 4913, 4915, 4916, 4921, 4922, 4923, 4924, and 4727, used in office, inspection, and industrial marking applications.
• Ketchum Kemco Meat Marking Inks Ketchum Kemco meat marking inks in various colors including red and purple, formulated for use with meat stamps in processing facilities.
• Denaturants Liquid denaturant agents (X-10377) for marking food items that need isolation, CFIA compliant, sold in 500ml and 20L sizes.
• Security Seals Plastic security seals including snapper bolt seals, padlock seals, pull-tite seals, and bagguard seals meeting ISO/PAS 17712 high security standards for tamper-evident applications.
• Custom Point-of-Purchase Signage Custom shelf talkers, shelf dividers, sheet protectors, and price tags for grocery and retail merchandising, with 250 piece minimum order quantity and quote-based pricing.
• Hospitality Signage Door handle signs, key lock signs, coat check tags, and parking permits for hotels and hospitality venues.
• Museum Products Admission tags, coat check tags, and parking permits for museums and special events.
• Industrial Identification Metal and plastic ID tags, mining claim plates, and engraved tags for industrial applications including equipment and asset identification.
• Parking Permits, Taxi Plates & Municipal Signage Municipal signage, rear view mirror permits, taxi plates, and parking identification products for municipalities and fleet operators.
• Promotional Products

Quantifiable outcome

• Complete traceability from birth to plate for livestock and seafood

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Z Tags (id|al|group): Manufacturer of livestock ear tags and identification systems serving North American cattle, hog, and sheep producers. Directly comparable niche tag manufacturer competing with Ketchum in core ear tag SKUs.
• Datamars: Global provider of livestock identification (ear tags, electronic ID), traceability, and companion animal identification products. Directly comparable to Ketchum's core animal identification business with broader RFID and digital traceability capabilities.
• Caisley International: Germany-based livestock identification specialist producing ear tags, electronic ID, and marking systems for cattle, sheep, and pigs across European and global markets. Direct peer to Ketchum in livestock tag manufacturing with deeper European footprint.
• Dalton Tags: UK-based specialist manufacturer of livestock ear tags and electronic identification products. Smaller-scale direct peer to Ketchum in the visual livestock ear tag category.
• Shearwell Data: UK/New Zealand livestock identification company specializing in electronic and visual ear tags, EID readers, and sheep/cattle management software. Comparable niche manufacturer to Ketchum in livestock identification with stronger electronic ID offering.
• Y-Tex Corporation: US-based manufacturer of livestock ear tags, insecticidal cattle tags, and identification products serving cattle and other livestock producers. Direct peer competing in the same ear tag and livestock identification category as Ketchum.
• Hauptner-Herberholz: German manufacturer of livestock identification, marking, and veterinary instruments including ear tags, tattoo equipment, and tagging pliers. Comparable European peer to Ketchum in livestock identification tooling and consumables.
• Allflex Livestock Intelligence: World's largest livestock identification company (now part of MSD Animal Health), offering ear tags, electronic ID, RFID readers, and tissue sampling. Directly competes with Ketchum across the global livestock ear tag market and represents the dominant scaled competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Avery Dennison: Global labeling and identification materials manufacturer serving retail, logistics, and industrial markets. Broad incumbent that competes with Ketchum's retail signage and industrial identification business as part of a much larger portfolio.
• Gallagher Group: New Zealand-based animal management solutions provider offering electric fencing, weighing, EID readers, and livestock management software. Broader incumbent that overlaps with Ketchum in livestock identification but operates across a much wider portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ketchumus
• Facebookfacebook.com/Ketchummanufacturinginc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ketchum-manufacturing-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Ketchum Manufacturing