Dongwon F&B begins exporting Nutriplan pet food to the U.S.

Dongwon F&B announced on the 18th that it began exporting its pet food brand Nutriplan to the United States this month. The initial shipment consists of six varieties of wet cat food. The products will be sold at more than 70,000 retailers nationwide, including supermarkets and pet shops, as well as online, with annual U.S. sales expected to reach about 30 billion won.

The export marks the company’s first entry into the world’s largest pet food market. It is also a notable achievement for a Korean company that has secured U.S. exports under its own brand in a domestic market long led by foreign brands such as Nestlé Purina and Mars. The milestone comes 10 years after Nutriplan launched in 2014.

Dongwon F&B’s technology and product quality have helped it earn recognition in the pet food market. Drawing on expertise gained from producing Korea’s leading canned tuna, the company has exported wet cat food to Japan for more than 30 years, since 1991. Its wet cat food is made by steaming tuna caught by the company and canning it immediately, preserving its freshness. The products are highly palatable and rich in taurine. They are currently exported to around 10 countries, including Japan, Vietnam and Hong Kong, with cumulative sales of about 700 million cans in Korea and overseas.

According to the Food Industry Statistics Information System (FIS) of the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT), the global pet food market is estimated to have grown at an average annual rate of 3.1%, expanding from $81.3 billion (about 118 trillion won) in 2019 to $91.8 billion (about 133 trillion won) in 2023. The United States, which accounts for about 40% of the global market, is a strategic market.

Dongwon F&B has recently expanded production facilities for dog food as it broadens its product range beyond cat food to cover the wider pet food market. The company aims to expand exports to markets worldwide, including the United States, Canada, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore and Russia, and reach annual pet food sales of 200 billion won by 2027.

Dongwon F&B said its U.S. exports reflect the results of more than 30 years of producing pet food through rigorous quality control and research and development. It added that it will continue expanding exports to introduce its high-quality pet food products around the world.