Whitebridge Pet Brands Announces Acquisition of Cardinal Pet Care

St. Louis, MO

Whitebridge Pet Brands, LLC, a provider of natural and minimally processed pet foods, treats and complements, has announced the completed acquisition of Cardinal Pet Care, LLC, makers of Pet Botanics®, Crazy Dog®, Full Life for Pets®, Remedy+Recovery®, Gold Medal® Pets and Only Healthy Source™ pet food, treats and health aids. Whitebridge Pet Brands is backed by Frontenac, a Chicago-based investment firm. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Cardinal Pet Care was founded in 1948 and has been guided since 1982 by pet industry pioneer Tony de Vos. Tony’s knowledge of the industry, passion for pets and entrepreneurial spirit led Cardinal to become a successful and well-respected family of brands, now distributed throughout North America and around the globe. The brands’ devotion to Pets, People and the Planet and Tony’s dedication to protecting the environment inspired him to become a founding member of the Pet Sustainability Coalition, of which he remains a prominent leader.

Whitebridge Pet Brands, led by CEO Olivier Amice, was founded in January 2015 with the merger of Cloud Star®, a leading pet treat manufacturer and Petropics, maker of Tiki Cat® and Tiki Dog™. In April 2017, Whitebridge Pet brands acquired Dogswell, a leading brand of functional jerky for dogs.

“At Whitebridge Pet Brands, our team shares a passion for pets and the belief that natural and minimally processed nutrition positively impacts the health and happiness of dogs and cats. We are very excited that the Cardinal Pet Care family of brands, including Pet Botanics® and Crazy Dog®, will be joining Whitebridge Pet Brands’ portfolio, as their combined strength in the training treats category is complementary to our commitment to happy pets in loving homes. This fourth acquisition will give Whitebridge Pet Brands the ability to leverage our combined structure to provide better service for our customers and to accelerate our overall growth,” said Amice.

About Whitebridge Pet Brands

Whitebridge Pet Brands was founded in January 2015 with the merger of Cloud Star and Petropics, the maker of Tiki Brands. Whitebridge Pet Brand’s strategy is to build an innovative pet food company that brings health and happiness to pets and owners with a range of minimally processed, natural, and wholesome dog and cat foods, treats and complements. Their portfolio includes Tiki Cat®, Tiki Dog™, Dogswell® and Cloud Star®, sold exclusively in pet specialty and widely distributed brands, Petite Cuisine®, Happy Hips® and Buddy Biscuits®.

About Frontenac

Frontenac is a Chicago-based private equity firm. The firm focuses on investing in lower middle market buyout transactions in the consumer, industrial, and services industries. Frontenac works in partnership with proven operating leaders, through an executive-centric approach called CEO1ST, to identify, acquire, and build market-leading companies through transformational acquisitions and operational excellence. The firm has built a leading franchise working with over 275 owners of mid-sized businesses as they address complex transition issues of liquidity, management enhancement, and growth planning. For more information, please visit www.frontenac.com.