Friskies
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| Product type |
Pet food - Cat food formerly dog food |
|---|---|
| Owner | Nestlé Purina PetCare |
| Introduced | 1930s (as dog food) 1950s (as cat food) |
| Markets | Worldwide |
| Previous owners | Carnation Company (1930s-1985) |
| Tagline | Friskies For More (2004-2007) Feed The Senses (2007-present) |
| Website | www.friskies.com |
Friskies is a brand of wet and dry cat food and treats. It is owned by Nestlé Purina PetCare Company, a subsidiary of Nestlé. Friskies was initially introduced by Carnation Company in the 1930s as a dog food brand. When Friskies cat food was introduced in the 1950s, it was the first dry pet food product specifically for cats. The brand was acquired by Nestlé in 1985. From the 1970s to the 2000s, variations in Friskies cat food proliferated and competition for consumer spending intensified.
Friskies is produced and marketed by Nestlé Purina Petcare, a subsidiary of Nestlé. Friskies was first introduced in the 1930s by Carnation through its subsidiary, Albers Company. By 1973, Friskies was one of five companies that controlled two-thirds of the $1.75 billion pet food market. At the time Carnation was known for dry milk products, but also had operations processing animal feed for farms. It experimented with dry food products for 3.5 years at Carnation Farms, initially with stray dogs in improvised cages, and later with pure-breds in a formal kennel. Carnation International was formed in 1966 to market Carnation's pet food products internationally in Japan, Spain, France, England and Italy, among others.
Carnation was acquired by Nestlé in 1985 for $3 billion. After the acquisition, it was renamed Nestlé/Carnation Food Company, before becoming a Nestlé subsidiary in 1992, under the name Friskies PetCare Company. The Friskies brand had a market-share of 28.2% by 1992. Friskies was merged with Nestlé subsidiary Nestlé Purina Petcare in 2001, during the merger with former competitor Ralston Purina.
Friskies was first introduced as a dry dog food brand in 1934. It introduced "Friskies Cubes" that year, which was followed by pellets called "Friskies Meal," eight years later. Friskies sold well as a dry dog food on the west coast of the United States; then was increasingly distributed on the east coast. Only dry food was initially produced, because consumers preferred less expensive products during the Great Depression and World War II led to the rationing of tin for canned pet foods, in order to preserve metal for the war effort. The rationing of tin led to a growth in sales of Friskies dry food products, as competitors that sold canned foods were forced to limit production. The first Friskies brand canned dog food was released in 1951 and nine Friskies products were released from 1958 to 1963.
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Wikipedia