Healthy treats from Switzerland - Delipet AG

Suppliers
Jakob Wenger (left) and Dominik
Stohler are furthering their commitment
to healthy, varied chew
products.
Healthy treats from
Switzerland
Since it was established ten years ago, Delipet has
supported the trend towards natural, healthy chew products.
Customers in around 15 countries are benefiting from the
innovativeness of the Swiss.
Utilising the by-products from
meat production in a way that
made environmental sense was
the reason why Delipet AG was
established by Dominik Stohler
and Jakob Wenger. Dominik Stohler
had already started producing chew
products for dogs in his
village butcher’s shop back
in 1994. “We made the introduction
of a new quality
standard for chew products
in the international pet supplies
sector our objective,”
recounts Jakob Wenger.
Over 50 employees manufacture
all products exclu-
sively at the plant in Hölstein, south
of Basle. Product development,
acceptance tests and feeding
recommendations are all monitored
by an in-house veterinarian.
On the export side, the Swiss
company supplies major customers
in around 15 countries, including
several EU states as well as Japan,
Australia and Russia. “The export
success of the products is also
due to typical Swiss attributes
such as a high quality standard,
product safety and reliability,” says
Jakob Wenger confidently. Exports
account for 45 per cent of sales
and this figure is increasing.
Products with added
benefits
When the two master butchers
started producing and refining
chew products on a grand scale,
the typical range of chew products
in pet stores still consisted
primarily of unpackaged products,
which were presented more or less
openly on the counter and thus
Offering chew products in modern packaging has contributed significantly to their
acceptance in the retail trade.
42 PET worldwide 9 -10|2010

made a significant contribution
to the “animal odour”. Big grocery
chains also registered an interest
in the lucrative business in healthy
chew products combined with the
requirement for attractive, hygienic
and customer-friendly packaging
along with private label
marking. In Delipet the companies
found a sympathetic ear: “Sales
of packaged products have increased
markedly in recent years,
while the sales figures for loose
goods are falling sharply,” says
Jakob Wenger.
To be able to satisfy the individual
demands of the various retail
customers, two lines have been
developed at Delipet. The company’s
“DeliBest” brand covers
a premium range of natural chew
treats manufactured using raw
materials from Switzerland and
accordingly designated “Swiss
premium” products. “This line meets
the expectations of customers who
make higher demands in respect
of product quality and product
safety,” states Jakob Wenger. “Swiss
raw materials derived from animals
kept in conditions appropriate
to the species ideally fulfil
this requirement.” The second line
comprises the “Natural Snacks”
products. Raw materials and semifinished
products for this line are
also bought in from foreign suppliers,
something that is unavoidable
in view of the high batch sizes
involved, and this results in a lower
price. Dominik Stohler stresses,
however, that “none of the products
bought in are simply repackaged
or relabelled. Each product
undergoes drying and refining in
house to ensure the guaranteed
product safety.”
PET worldwide 9 -10|2010
Swiss innovations
For Interzoo 2010 the company
focused on two new product innovations:
• “VitalSticks” in three varieties
with green-lipped mussel extract,
garlic with natural herbs
or biotin, collagen and linseed
are gluten-free and support
physical and body attributes,
the skeleton, skin and coat.
The packs contain seven single
portions, one for each day of
the week.
• “DeliBest Chicken Snacks” for
dogs and cats are made from
Swiss chicken and are a completely
new type of chew product/treat.
The meat strips
are grilled on a specially procured
roasting line, thereby
acquiring a highly concentrated
meat aroma that increases
acceptance. Herbs from the
Swiss Alps aid digestion and
support the body, skin and coat,
while green-lipped mussels
promote cartilage metabolism
and joint mobility.
One successful Delipet product
is the “DentaBone”, pressed dry
food in the shape of a bone consisting
of ostrich, venison, lamb
or salmon, or meat-free consisting
of Swiss alpine herbs. Dominik
Stohler highlights the high meat
content of over 50 per cent. Al-
One successful product is the “DentaBone” with a high meat content.
Around a million of these are being manufactured this year.
though some companies are already
imitating the concept, he says,
none of them approach this high
meat content. A million of these
products are being manufactured
for the first time this year, many
of them under customers’ own
labels. “Probio-Dog” meat cubes
are another successful product,
manufactured exclusively from
Swiss meat. Delipet manufactures
these under numerous brands in
a variety of recipes for a large
number of customers in Switzerland
and abroad.
“More than ever, today’s customers
want high-quality chew
products and treats with healthy
and demonstrable added benefits,
which can be fed cleanly and are low
on odour,” says Jakob Wenger. n
A new product for 2010: “Vital-
Sticks” in three varieties, providing
dogs with their daily ration of
healthy added ingredients.
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