Lisbon Pet Food Maker Buys Wisconsin Company

LISBON, Ohio —  BrightPet Nutrition Group has acquired substantially all of the assets of Phoebe Products LLC.

BrightPet manufactures and distributes pet food brands for national and international markets through its subsidiaries, Ohio Pet Foods, which operates a plant at 38281 Industrial Park Road in Lisbon,  and Southern Tier Pet Nutrition, which operates a plant in Sherburne, N.Y.

Ohio Pet Foods makes Blackwood Pet Food and Southern Tier the Adirondack Pet Food brand. Both plants also turn out private-label pet food products.

Phoebe, based in Kiel, Wis., is a family-owned manufacturer of premium pet treats. It was established in 1990 by the Thielmann family and also provides co-packed and private-label products for retailers and brands.

“The Thielmann family shares our passion for producing top-of-the-line pet products,” said Matthew Golladay, president of BrightPet Nutrition Group, in announcing the deal. “We’ve been in the business of making dry pet food for 40 years. After meeting the Thielmann family and their Phoebe team, we saw an instant synergy between our offerings, mission and target audiences.”

Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

“The decision to join the BrightPet Nutrition Group was an easy one,” said Peter Theilmann, president of Phoebe Products. “Our team has been producing great tasting and healthy pet treats for more than 27 years and knows this move will allow us to continue making pets happy for decades to come.”

Similar to BrightPet’s process of making high-quality pet food, Phoebe makes its treats in small batches and tests each one to ensure food safety. Phoebe is one of the first companies to produce functional, high-meat content, all-natural, organic baked and freeze-dried treats, according to the acquisition announcement.

“Freeze-dried treats are one of the highest growth categories in the pet treat market, said Golladay. “Teaming up with Phoebe further illustrates BrightPet’s commitment to the premium and super-premium pet category.”

BrightPet Nutrition Group was formed in April 2016 when Ohio Pet Foods and Southern Tier Pet Nutrition partnered with a Philadelphia private investment firm, Graham Partners.

Pictured at top: Ohio Pet Foods manufacturing plant and warehouse in Lisbon.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.