The Pet Food Science Podcast Show

Mike Hooper: Pet Food Market Evolution | Ep. 145

Mar 19, 2026
Guest
Mike Hooper
Mike Hooper, Vice President of Business Development Companion Animal LATAM at Trouw Nutrition with 40+ years in pet and animal nutrition. He discusses how pet food fundamentals have evolved. He highlights Latin America’s unique cultural, distribution, and buying habits. He covers market growth drivers, sustainability tradeoffs, and supply chain realities shaping pet food strategy.
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INSIGHT

Life Stage Focus Replaced Livestock Mindset

  • Early pet food fundamentals shifted from broad livestock-derived nutrition to life-stage and breed-specific formulations as companies began hiring dedicated pet nutritionists.
  • Mike notes many early pet nutritionists came from poultry, swine, or ruminant backgrounds until the 2000s when focused pet expertise emerged.
ADVICE

Respect Local Culture When Entering LATAM

  • Respect local culture and do not simply duplicate U.S. pet strategies when entering Latin America; learn and adapt instead.
  • Mike advised building region-specific plans and taking 'tidbits' from other markets rather than forcing one model.
INSIGHT

Fragmented Retail Shapes Buying Behavior

  • Latin American pet markets are fragmented with many regional family-run brands and dozens of local players; channels include street shops where consumers buy loose kilos.
  • Mike observed Mexico and Brazil each had ~150 brands and retail practices like scooping one kilo from bins for sale.
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