Just last month, Nestlé SA, the parent company of Nestlé India, acquired a minority stake in pet food brand Drools, marking the firm’s first investment in an Indian brand. Back in 2022 the `20,078-crore FMCG company had also acquired the Purina Petcare pet foods business. In April of this year, Godrej Consumer Products launched its pet food brand Ninja. Another FMCG firm, Emami in 2022 acquired a 30% stake in pet care start-up, Cannis Lupis, which provides Ayurvedic products for pets.
Evidently, FMCG majors are eyeing the `5,000-crore pet care segment growing at 10-12% with keen interest. “Both new players come with strong equity,” says Ajimon Francis, MD India for Brand Finance. “The challenge will be for these companies to build a distribution network across India. Pedigree and Whiskas have an advantage over the others particularly in the pet care network — vets, grooming centres, pet cafes etc.”
The going won’t be easy though. In a high-involvement category, the big challenge for brands is to own the emotional context around the desire for pet health rather than promotion of product features. Not many brands seem to be really working at this, say experts, focusing instead on their product bona fides and pricing. That apart, says Salil Murthy, managing director, Mars Petcare India, less than 10% of Indian pets are fed manufactured pet food. Most are still fed home-cooked meals that don’t meet their nutritional needs. In other words, the real disruptor will be the one that hastens migration from home leftover food to specialised pet food.
The opportunity
India has an estimated 100 million pets after ownership surged during the pandemic. But in comparison with more developed markets, packaged pet food consumption in India is far lower. “That’s good news for the players in the business,” says Santosh Sreedhar, partner, Avalon Consulting. “As awareness improves, the market will grow even if pet adoption rates do not increase,” he adds. Over the next 10-15 years, the pet food market could grow 1.5-2 times the average consumer industry growth, Sreedhar estimates.
With over 50% share, Mars Petcare is the market leader offering a host of brands such as Whiskas, Pedigree and Sheba. India now contributes a mere 5% to Mars Petcare globally but is set to become one of its top five markets in the next decade, as per reports. Francis says the time is right for the company to innovate on the product front and create differentiation since both Godrej and Nestlé are armed with excellent procurement and R&D capability.
The company is addressing the brand adoption challenge through sustained awareness campaigns. “Our omnichannel distribution strategy, spanning e-commerce, quick commerce, pet shops and pharmacies, is making our pet food accessible across most pin codes,” says Murthy, adding that urban India continues to be the core market.
Mars Petcare also offers diverse cat food brands, given the increase in cat parenting. Whiskas offers everyday nutrition; Sheba is its premium offering and Kitekat serves affordable options. In dog food, Chappi is its value-conscious brand. For its part, Nestlé’s Purina offers brands like Felix and Friskies for cats, and SUPERCOAT and PRO PLAN for dogs. The company’s pet-care business reported high double-digit growth in FY25— the highest ever, since its integration into the Nestlé India business.
Godrej’s new Ninja brand offers nutrition for dogs and is available only in the Tamil Nadu market so far. “As urban lifestyles evolve, more Indian households — particularly nuclear families and millennials—are embracing pet companionship, treating pets as family members. This emotional shift has led to a surge in demand for high-quality and specialised pet food,” says Chirag Aga, head of marketing, Godrej Pet Care. What will also help is the fact that the pet care ecosystem in the country is becoming organised and robust.
In a dynamic market like pet care, it is not enough to own the shelf. Brands need to own the relationship, stresses Ambika Sharma, founder and chief strategist, Pulp Strategy, who is a pet parent herself. “Long-term success in the category will come from balancing science, service, and emotion. Brands need to become enablers of better pet parenting, not just food providers. That means creating value beyond the bag, advice, wellness content, grooming, insurance and tele-vet services,” she says.