UK-based fresh cat food producer KatKin has raised $50m in equity and debt funding to help the company expand across the country.
According to the pet food firm, the investment will help it to add to its product ranges in the UK and build its business in through specialist pet retailers and via the direct-to-consumer channel.
The latest funding, led by an unnamed group of investors, will also support KatKin's entry into new markets, as it looks to continue “driving category awareness for fresh cat food”.
Just Food has asked KatKin to confirm which new markets it is targeting.
Set up in 2020 by Ed Westcott and siblings Brett and Nikki O’Farrell, KatKin specialises in frozen fresh, meat-based meals for cats and has a mission to "redefine cat nutrition and health". Its portfolio includes the SKUs Gobble, Splash, Oink and Quack.
The group's products are available direct-to-consumer through an online subscription service through which it offers pet parents a personalised meal plan for their cats.
KatKin also recently secured a retail partnership with national pet superstore Jollyes.
Ed Westcott, co-founder of KatKin, said: “This investment gives us the opportunity to scale responsibly, innovate further and continue delivering the highest standards of quality and safety in fresh cat food.”
The Series C equity and debt funding round will also accelerate KatKin’s product innovation plans and “strengthen KatKin’s vertically integrated model, from in-house production to scientific research”, the firm said.
Since it was founded five years ago, KatKin says it has delivered over 100 million fresh meals to date and makes up 2% of the UK cat food market.
The company employs over 150 people, primarily at its production sites in London and Suffolk.
Reflecting on the investment, Brett O’Farrell, co-founder of KatKin, added: “This funding marks the next chapter in our mission to change how cats are fed. Cats deserve fresh food with real meat made for their biology; not the compromises the industry has normalised.
“This investment helps us bring fresh to more cats, more quickly and continue pushing feline nutrition forward.”
