Merrick is one of the fastest-growing natural and organic pet food companies in the industry, and will continue to operate as an independent business with no planned changes to its management or operations.
Merrick has more than 350 employees located primarily in Hereford, Texas, Amarillo, Texas and Evanston, Illinois.
With this agreement, which is expected to close over the next several months, Merrick will be able to further build upon its record of providing pets with industry leading nutrition, quality and food safety, while taking advantage of new global resources and innovations.
Merrick offers a wide variety of USA-made dry and wet foods, as well as treats, that are available nationally at independent pet specialty stores, Petco, and online via select retailers. In April 2012, Merrick Pet Care Inc. acquired Castor & Pollux and its ORGANIX branded portfolio. These brands are available at PetSmart, natural grocery, and online via select retailers.
and what the team is doing to provide pets with nutritious, quality and safe food and are excited about how the Merrick brands will broaden the Purina portfolios.
Verdict: Is Merrick Dog Food Made in the USA?
Merrick dog food is manufactured and primarily sourced in the USA from local farmers. However, some ingredients come from other countries. It is worth noting that zero ingredients come from China.
All of Merrick’s dog food is made in one of their American kitchens, either in Hereford, Texas, or the two other kitchen locations they operate out of in Texas and Illinois. Most of their ingredients are sourced locally, but there are a few items that they get from international farmers. Most of the beef and other real meat they use in their recipes is from local farmers in Texas.
Because they source some of their ingredients from around the world, Merrick has to use obscure messaging on their dog food packaging like, “Safely USA Cooked” and “Cooked in our own kitchen with the world’s best ingredients.” These are telltale signs that some ingredients are sourced overseas.
While we are slightly disappointed that not all of Merrick’s ingredients are sourced in the USA (which is hard to do in the dog food industry), we are encouraged that Purina hasn’t yanked their production process overseas yet and they are holding strong to American manufacturing.
Merrick (and hence Purina) also owns the Castor & Pollux dog food brand. The team devised recipes that focused on non-poultry proteins (such as salmon and duck), along with real fruits and vegetables (such as peas, carrots, and bananas). This produced natural, great-tasting dog food that would set dogs up to be as healthy and happy as possible. They still follow those recipes today and have relatively the same production footprint as Merrick.
Nestle Purina is one of the nation’s largest manufacturers of pet food and pet treat products.
Purina’s portfolio of pet food and snack brands includes:
After that, Merrick will continue to operate as an independent business. According to Purina, no changes are planned for Merrick’s management or operations.
Merrick Pet Care was founded in 1988. The company is a leading producer of natural and organic pet foods.
Merrick Pet Care wet and dry products include:
Dog food Mash-up Nutrish vs Merrick
Merrick Pet Care has been around since 1988. The founder Gareth Merrick wanted to create a variety of healthy dog treats. With time, the company came up with real meat recipes. They now have an extensive line of wet and dry dog foods. In 2015, Merrick Pet Care was bought by the Nestle Purina PetCare Company, a giant conglomerate that we know is not all made in the USA. Merrick has a certified organic manufacturing facility, which means they make all their products in a way that adheres to industry-approved methods. But is their dog food made in the USA now that Purina has gotten their hands on it? We dug in to find out. Our verdict is below.