In the News

Green Bay, WI – June 11, 2025 – Carnivore Meat Company®, a leading manufacturer of premium-quality, raw frozen and freeze-dried pet food and treats, today announced the appointment of Dan Horner as Chief Revenue Officer. Horner will lead the company’s revenue growth strategy, focusing on building strong retail partnerships and driving commercial initiatives across the neighborhood pet channel and emerging markets.

Horner brings 35 years of experience in the pet industry, having held senior sales leadership roles at major brands including Freshpet, Pet Honesty and Purina. After spending decades dedicated to building successful partnerships in the neighborhood pet channel, Horner is known for his ability to accelerate commercial strategies in high-growth, emerging categories.

“Dan is an incredible addition to the deep talent bench we’ve built in our executive leadership,” said Heather Govea, CEO of Carnivore Meat Company. “His impressive track record of pioneering growth in the alternative feeding category and partnering closely with retailers will further drive the growth we are experiencing with customers in neighborhood pet, international & private label.”

“I’m looking forward to working with the Carnivore team and building on the great momentum they’ve created,” said Dan Horner, Chief Revenue Officer of Carnivore Meat Company. “Together, we will further our mission of making premium raw pet food more accessible to pet parents.”

For more information, visit carnivoremeat.com.

About Carnivore Meat Company

Carnivore Meat Company is an award-winning manufacturer of premium raw frozen and freeze-dried pet food and treats. Long considered a raw pet food pioneer, the company's freeze-dried products division supplies private label, co-packing, and ingredients to customers globally. The company's rapidly growing brands in Green Bay, Wisconsin, include Vital Essentials® and VE RAW BAR, distributed to more than 7,000 retailers nationwide, in 14 international markets, and online. Carnivore Meat Company has been recognized for its growth accomplishments and manufacturing excellence with several awards in recent years, including the Greater Green Bay Chamber Growth Award, Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year Award, Governor's Export Achievement Award, Greater Green Bay Chamber Manufacturing Award of Distinction and Inc 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies. Visit the Carnivore Meat Company website at carnivoremeat.com.

New Soft-Texture Product for Dogs and Cats Delivers 10 Premium Protein Options, Versatile Feeding Formats for Even the Pickiest Eaters

Green Bay, WI – May 12, 2025 – Vital Essentials®, the flagship brand of Carnivore Meat Company, has launched its latest highly anticipated pet food innovation, Soft Nibs. Building off the success of the company’s Crunchy Nibs product, Soft Nibs features a soft texture, enticing aromas and can be crumbled and rehydrated to provide a moisture boost, making it easy for picky eaters or pets with sensitive teeth to enjoy.

The expansive launch delivers unprecedented protein diversity with 10 new varieties – five each for dogs and cats. Dog formulations include Beef, Beef & Salmon, Duck, Lamb & Whitefish, and Pork, while cat options feature Beef & Chicken, Chicken, Duck, Pork, and Turkey. Most notably, Vital Essentials debuts its first-ever fish-protein blends and pork formulation for dogs, significantly expanding nutritional options for pets with specific dietary preferences.

"Vital Essentials continues our mission to make raw feeding simple and approachable, delivering transformative health benefits for pets," said Heather Govea, CEO of Carnivore Meat Company. "With Soft Nibs joining our Butcher Cut Protein line, pet parents now have complete texture options – both crunchy and soft – providing unmatched mealtime variety."

In 2025, Vital Essentials is reinforcing the importance of making small changes in pet diets to achieve significant health benefits. The brand is encouraging pet parents to start by incorporating just 20% raw Butcher Cut Protein into their pets' meals, a simple shift that is scientifically shown to support energy, skin and coat health, digestion, and overall vitality.

To provide personalized recommendations to pet parents, Vital Essentials has launched an innovative AI-powered Nutrition Calculator on its website. Pet parents answer just eight questions about their pets' health goals and current diet—taking only about three minutes to complete. The calculator uses advanced AI technology to analyze photos of current pet food packaging and automatically extract nutritional data, providing customized recommendations for incorporating more raw protein into their pet's diet, with the ultimate goal of adding at least 20% raw Butcher Cut Protein.

Soft Nibs is now available on Amazon, Chewy, and neighborhood pet stores. Complete nutritional information and feeding resources available at vitalessentials.com.

About Carnivore Meat Company

Carnivore Meat Company is an award-winning manufacturer of premium raw frozen and freeze-dried pet food and treats. Long considered a raw pet food pioneer, the company's freeze-dried products division supplies private label, co-packing, and ingredients to customers globally. The company's rapidly growing brands in Green Bay, Wisconsin, include Vital Essentials® and VE RAW BAR, distributed to more than 7,000 retailers nationwide, in 14 international markets, and online. Carnivore Meat Company has been recognized for its growth accomplishments and manufacturing excellence with several awards in recent years, including the Greater Green Bay Chamber Growth Award, Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year Award, Governor's Export Achievement Award, Greater Green Bay Chamber Manufacturing Award of Distinction and Inc 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies. Visit the Carnivore Meat Company website at carnivoremeat.com.

Dear Valued Customers,

We understand public concern surrounding the recent avian influenza (HPAI) outbreaks and their potential impact on the raw pet food industry - and ultimately, our pets’ health. As a team full of pet parents ourselves, we believe in open and honest communication with our valued customers, and we appreciate the opportunity to provide you with more information on Vital Essentials' to commitment to food safety & quality.

Vital Essentials is fully committed to maintaining the highest standards of food safety and quality. We go to great lengths to ensure the quality and safety of our products. To ensure the highest level of safety, every ingredient supplier undergoes a rigorous approval process that includes 3rd Party GFSI Certifications, HACCP control documents and must have a full supplier disclosure regarding the safety of their materials. 

We have been taking great lengths to further protect pets & their parents from Avian Influenza. Our poultry suppliers are part of the National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP), which is a collaborative program involving poultry industry, state, and federal authorities that aims to monitor and stop the spread of dangerous diseases like avian influenza in captive birds, especially those raised for food. The birds are regularly tested for avian influenza, and any flocks with positive birds - even if there are only a few - are euthanized to further prevent spread of the disease. The birds are housed in open enclosures to prevent exposure to disease from wild birds and to limit possible transmission between captive flocks. Only healthy birds that test negative prior to slaughter are being processed. Our suppliers have also implemented enhanced biosecurity measures, including PPE for personnel that come into contact with birds, limiting personnel onsite, and detailed procedures minimizing risks for vehicles that enter the property.

We’ve also conducted an extensive review of our supply chain and can confirm that Vital Essentials is not implicated in any recalls related to avian influenza, and we do not source poultry from any of the affected areas. Our suppliers are fully committed to maintaining the health of their flocks and will continue to follow all recommendations to prevent avian influenza. 

As this is a rapidly evolving situation, we will continue to monitor all available information on this topic and update protocols as necessary. We are confident in the safety of our products, and we appreciate you placing your trust in us to provide your pets with the highest quality raw food and treats. 

Regards,

Your Partners at Vital Essentials

Carnivore Meat Company was listed in Inc 5000's list of fastest growing private companies for 5th year in a row...

Vital Essentials is a featured winner in the 2023 Pet Innovation Awards for Dog Treat Alternative Product of The Year...

GREEN BAY, WI (December 1, 2021) – Carnivore Meat Company, industry-leading manufacturer of raw pet food and treats, has won the 2021 Pet Business Industry Recognition Award in the Raw Cat Food category for their new highly popular product Vital Cat Freeze-Dried Pork Mini Nibs. The award marks the third consecutive year and fourth time overall that Vital Cat or its parent brand, Vital Essentials®, has earned the prestigious award.

Pork, a novel protein, was added to the Vital Cat line in April to give new and current cat parents more flexibility and variety in their cat’s diet. Pet parents can feed their cat’s crunchy cravings with the award-winning Mini Nibs or lap up delectable Dinner Patties that can be fed wet or dry, providing multiple choices to meet the whole family’s needs and preferences. 

Pork is an alternative protein option for picky felines or cats who have allergies to common proteins like chicken or beef. Pork may be beneficial for cats with sensitive stomachs because it is easier to digest, and it contains many key nutrients, such as taurine for heart health and thiamine to regulate metabolism.

“Vital Cat Freeze-Dried Pork Mini Nibs Cat Food has quickly become one of the best selling products in our cat food line and we’ve received amazing feedback about the high quality and palatability of both Pork cat food options,” stated Melissa Olson, VP Marketing & Sales. “We’re honored to be recognized by Pet Business with the 2021 Industry Recognition Award.” 

Vital Cat Freeze-Dried Pork Mini Nibs not only earned Pet Business industry recognition, but this cat food item also received the 2021 Pet Innovation Award for Raw Cat Food of the Year in honor of the product’s creativity, quality and popularity.

This marks the second award Vital Cat Freeze-Dried Pork Mini Nibs Cat Food earned in 2021 from two different prestigious recognition platforms within the pet industry. Only products that represent the ‘best of the best’ rise above the rigorous evaluation process and steep competition found in both platforms.

2021 marks the 20th anniversary of the highly-respected Pet Business Industry Recognition Awards. A panel of industry experts evaluate hundreds of pet products each year before extending the award to “the most exciting and functional products that the industry has to offer.”

Vital Essentials has now earned a Pet Business Industry Recognition Award four times in three different categories. Vital Essentials previously won in the Merchandising Displays category in 2016 for the newly-released VE RAW BAR, and then again in 2019 for the VE RAW BAR Freestanding Display. In 2020, Vital Essentials Family Size Treats earned the award in the Freeze-Dried Dog Treats Category.

Each Pet Business Industry Recognition Award is a testament to the innovation and drive of Carnivore Meat Company, as the most tenured raw pet food manufacturer in the nation continues to release new high-quality products under the Vital Essentials and Vital Cat brands at groundbreaking speeds.

About the Pet Business Industry Recognition Awards

Pet Business is the most trusted trade media brand in the pet industry. Through a diverse and evolving set of platforms including print magazines, websites, e-newsletters and social media, Pet Business covers every facet of the industry, providing valuable, actionable advice to pet specialty retailers along the way. Pet Business’ Industry Recognition Awards program highlights the pet industry’s most innovative and functional products across a variety of categories. The winners are selected by the Pet Business editors after scouring the industry for the most exciting and functional products on the market.

About Carnivore Meat Company

Carnivore Meat Company is an award-winning manufacturer of premium raw frozen and freeze-dried pet food and treats.  Located in Green Bay, Wisconsin, the company’s rapidly growing brands include Nature’s Advantage®, Vital Essentials®, VE RAW BAR and Vital Cat®, which are distributed to over 6,000 retailers nationwide, in 14 international markets and online to Chewy.com, Amazon, PetFlow.com and others.  Long considered a raw pet food pioneer, the company’s freeze-dried products division supplies private label, co-packing and ingredients to customers globally.  Carnivore Meat Company is family owned and has been recognized for its growth accomplishments and manufacturing excellence with a number of awards in recent years, including Greater Green Bay Chamber Growth Award, Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year Award, Governor’s Export Achievement Award, Greater Green Bay Chamber Manufacturing Award of Distinction and Inc 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies.

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