The Isle & Sky brand will offer a range of chicken-based pet treats for cats and dogs. Credit: Getty Images

TasFoods has marked its entry to the pet-food sector with the Australia launch of the Isle & Sky brand.

The new pet-treats range – produced by TasFoods’ Nichols Poultry business unit – includes three new premium chicken products for cats and dogs – chicken necks, chicken neck bites, and chicken wing tips.

Launceston, Tasmania-based TasFoods has partnered with the country’s speciality pet-products retailer Petbarn to launch the range in over 200 stores.

The company has also signed a distribution arrangement with Australia’s largest pet-products wholesaler, Eastern Distributors, which supplies goods to over 1,400 independent and corporate pet stores in the country.

TasFoods’ CEO Scott Hadley said: “We are very proud of our new Isle & Sky planet-friendly pet nutrition. Launching with a range of pet treats including chicken necks, wings and neck bites, the offering is unique insofar that it is 100% Tasmanian, human grade, a 100% waste-neutral product, chlorine-free and vet approved.”

In a statement, the publicly-listed group said its pet-food entry is part of a “major strategic reset” carried out in the past 18 months.

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Hadley added: “We have leveraged our core capabilities at Nichols Poultry to expand to this adjacent, high-growth category to fuel growth in both Australia and beyond once our model is proven.”

Earlier this year, its Betta Milk and Meander Valley Dairy brands were bought by Australian dairy company Bega Group in a A$11m ($7.1m) deal.

While TasFoods’ website indicates that it still owns Pyengana Dairy, the Bega Group acquisition also included a royalty-free license for the company to use the brand for milk and dairy products in Australia.

TasFoods also announced the sale of its Shima Wasabi unit to local fruit supplier Hillwood Berries in June.

The company recorded total revenue of A$72m for the 2022 financial year, up 2.1% from its 2021 performance.

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