On the latest episode of Petworking, I was fortunate enough to be joined by 🐾Yvethe Tyszka, Vice President of Marketing, and Bob Kalill, Vice President of Research and Product Development at Zesty Paws (part of H&H Group). Zesty Paws is the top pet supplement brand in the U.S., as verified by Euromonitor.

Yvethe, Bob and I discussed the rapid growth of the pet supplements market, and the current trends in the category. Whereas supplements used to be something that pet parents would only give to their dog or cat if recommended by a veterinarian, it has now blossomed into a $2B market, that experienced 15% YOY growth in 2023, and is expected to grow 10% to $2.2B in 2024. This is a far cry from the 2-5% YOY growth that Packaged Facts predicted in 2020, when Yvethe joined Zesty Paws.

As we explored the evolution of the pet supplements market, Yvethe, Bob and I discussed:

• Evolution of Pet Supplements: How human acceptance/adoption of supplements and the introduction of treat-form supplements that are both effective and enjoyable for pets led to pet supplements evolving from a veterinarian-recommended niche product, to one of the fastest growing categories in Pet Care

• The Impact of Covid on Pet Supplements: Not only did the pandemic lead to a surge in pet adoptions, which boosted the overall market, but because people were at home with their pets, it allowed them to pay more attention to their pets' health, and focus more on immunity and wellness

• Online Growth and Retail Expansion: Many pet supplement brands started out as digital natives, and have only recently begun to migrate to brick and mortar. Historically, pet supplements have performed better in e-commerce channels, because customers people don't necessarily know where to go to look for supplements in pet specialty retail, and they may not even be looking for supplements on their shopping trip. The supplements aisle isn't the first place they'll go to in the store. However, once these digital native brands establish a brand presence online, moving into brick and mortar has an additive effect as opposed to cannibalizing online sales, as it reinforces brand awareness and leads to more targeted organic search
• Strategic Allocation of Product Mix in Retail Channels: As it has expanded into brick and mortar, Zesty Paws has been very deliberate with the product mix that it allocates to each of its retail channels. For example, there's a larger assortment of its supplements line available in an independent pet specialty store or a PetSmart than there would be in Walmart or CVS. FDM outlets receive a smaller array of SKUs there that are more broadly understood, that might attract a customer's interest during a regular shopping trip, whereas a pet specialty store will have SKUs that cater to pet parents that are specifically looking for a supplement to address a more unique condition.

• Healthy Aging: At SuperZoo, Zesty Paws announced the upcoming launch of its "Healthy Aging" product, an NAD booster developed in conjunction with ChromaDex. It is currently available exclusively on Chewy and the Zesty Paws website, but will become more broadly available next year. Yvethe noted that it is designed to support healthy aging, better cellular health, extend the quality of your dog's years and bring a little bit of their puppyhood energy back.

As a user of an NAD booster myself, and a pet parent that gives an NAD booster to Peony, I was excited to have a chance to discuss the science behind Healthy Aging and NAD boosters in general with Bob.

Tune into the episode to catch the full details of my conversation with Bob and Yvethe, and if you're interested in trying Healthy Aging, let us know in the comments and we'll send you an exclusive discount code. It's a great holiday gift for your senior dog.

Happy Holidays, everyone!