4 minute read
Behind the brand
Inaba Foods
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We get the inside story on one of the world’s largest pet food manufacturers who are bringing their hugely popular pet treat to the European market — and they want to work with independent pet shops.
You may not have heard of Churu but the manufacturers of these insanely palatable treats, Inaba Foods, are one of the largest pet food companies in the world and are growing fast with $20m sales in the USA alone just fi ve years after launch.
Heritage
Founded in 1805, Mr Yoshizo Inaba went into business to provide freshly caught, ethical and dolphin safe tuna to families in Japan. Building on their sustainable seafood harvesting heritage, Inaba branched into the pet food industry in 1958.
Inaba (pronounced ‘In-aah-ba’if you were wondering) take great pride in providing premium cat and dog treats that are extremely palatable, low calorie, grain free, high moisture and prepared without preservatives or artifi cial colours. Blending sustainable, ethically sourced, natural ingredients with functional green tea and collagen is key to their gaining a 99% palatability rating.
Inaba manufacture Churu products from ten of their own FDA licenced premises, the latest of which is a state-ofthe-art facility in Atlanta, Georgia. Inaba use high welfare chicken, naturally raised on closely supervised farms and deep sea tuna which is sustainably caught and certifi ed dolphin safe. The packaging materials have special oxygen blocking properties to preserve the nutritional value and natural goodness meaning every treat tastes as moist and fresh as the day it was packed.
Mike Lane, Head of Operations, says: “We started in Europe right at the beginning of the pandemic which inevitably delayed our plans but as of today, we are present in over 35 countries and have established distribution across Europe. With probably the largest stand at Interzoo (the international pet industry trade show), we intend to show both our heritage and ambition. We are committed to growth in Europe with plans in place already for factories in the UK and Poland.”
Signature product — Churu Puree
The cornerstone of Inaba’s product offering is Japan’s absolute favourite cat treat, Churu Puree. A luxuriously creamy paste for which a search on YouTube will return a plethora of videos of cats frantically consuming the creamy treat. It’s easy to see why sampling works so well for Inaba when you see the reaction of cats and dogs to these palatable treats.
Available for both cats and dogs, Churu Puree is perfect to use with enrichment toys like LickiMat which is why in March this year Inaba formed a partnership with Sharples Pet (exclusive UK distributor of LickiMat). Mike says: “The synergy with LickiMat is obvious, soon every LickiMat sold in the UK and Europe will contain a sample of Churu, creating even more demand.”.
As well as the puree, Churu treats include a range of soft, high quality, moist treats for dogs and cats — such as Churu Bites, little parcels of chicken fi lled with Churu Puree which are perfect for hiding pills, as well as high value training rewards.
A veterinary formulation of Churu is starting to gain traction with vets in the UK as a valuable aid to distract cats during examinations and procedures, as well as encouraging sick and convalescing cats to eat. Anecdotal reviews from veterinary clinics include crediting Churu with helping to turn the fortunes of one seriously injured cat and a handful which have avoided the stress of intravenous fl uids by employing the use of Churu.
Building demand
To help build demand, Inaba are sponsoring all of the key cat and dog shows, supplying entrants and visitors with samples of Churu treats. Inaba will also be building demand by sampling direct with pet owners via social media and every order placed with Sharples Pet will also receive samples.
As well as building a following with veterinary clinics, Inaba are keen to support the independent distribution network, something which Mike believes their partnership with LickiMat will help them do. Mike said: “When you have a good treat product, sampling is key and the palatability of our treats means that once owners try Churu they generally return to buy again and again helping to support footfall in independent stores.”
Ten great reasons to love Churu!
● Churu are the only puree treats with Green Tea and Collagen. ● It’s packed full of antioxidants. ● The range is made with entirely natural ingredients —NO fi llers and NO derivatives. ● Churu is grain free and potato free. ● Recipes are high in chicken or dolphin friendly tuna. ● They are low in calories. ● The high water content helps keep pets hydrated. ● In independent trials they were awarded a 99.9% palatability rating. ● There are lots of exceptionally tasty varieties to try. ● Cats and dogs just LOVE it!
