Pet treat supplier Sniffers Pet Care has secured an £850k investment from private equity backer Traditum to ramp up production at its Yorkshire factory.
Based near Halifax, the business supplies natural pet treats for the likes of Pets at Home and Jollyes under its challenger brand NAW.
The range is made from 100% air-dried animal parts, which the company said would usually go to waste. It is now stocked by Ocado, as well as a range of independent and specialist retailers, with the brand to be showcased at Crufts later this month.
The follow-on funding comes after Traditum backed Sniffers with an initial £1.8m investment in 2022.
Sniffers has since experienced rapid growth, with a 40% year-on-year increase in turnover and an 85% growth in headcount in the past year, taking employee numbers to 37.
“The follow-on funding from Traditum is a real endorsement of our plan and the launch of our brand NAW last year,” said CEO Simon Brown.
“It will enable us to accelerate our growth in 2024 and make a real impact in the pet market with some exciting launches ahead.”
Sniffers added it expected the investment to led to an incremental uplift of £3.3m in annual revenue.
Iain Marlow, head of investments for Traditum, said: “Following on from our investment into Sniffers in 2022, the business has successfully launched the NAW brand, expanded the senior management team and entered into new distribution channels, which have delivered transformational growth for the business.
“We are delighted to be able to provide further funding to the business to support continued growth in what are exciting times for the business.”
The first round of funding enabled Sniffers to expand operationally and scale manufacturing and distribution capabilities. It also invested in building its own IP through the rebrand of its natural dog treat brands, Buffalo and Walter Smith, to NAW, which stands for No Animal Wasted.
Senior leadership at the company also invested in the latest round, including CFO Peter Harrison and non-executive directors Tom and George Page. The brothers were appointed to the board in 2023 to provide marketing and operational expertise, drawing on their industry experience at family business Inspired Pet Nutrition.
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