A Manchester pet food business has said its sales have grown 400 per cent this year, thanks to high demand for high-quality pet food in the Japanese market.
Making Pet Food Matters (MPM) was founded in 2002 and focuses on making pet food with natural ingredients with a range of brands, including Applaws and Encore.
The firm said launching in Japan - through distributor AEONPet - has generated £1m in sales so far this year, with a five-year projection of £5m.
Chief operating officer James Bracewell said the firm launched after it “previously found Japan a difficult market to obtain new business in due to the strict legislative framework and high expectations on quality”.
However, he said they “have recently won new business with our Applaws brand”, with help from the Department for International Trade and others.
“Applaws premium cat and dog food provides real health benefits for pets and strong growth is anticipated as the roll-out across Japan continues,” he said.
MPM said they noticed a “spike” in ecommerce orders during lockdown, which helped sustain growth.
Earlier this month, the business announced it had been sold by private equity investor ECI partners.
