Ziwi's Future Includes Opening the "Largest Pet Food Manufacturing Facility in New Zealand" – PetProductNews.com

Heather Hickey
Jessica Krueger
New Zealand green lipped mussels and cold-washed green tripe are unique ingredients featured in Ziwi’s range of pet diets, which offer pet owners sustainably sourced and nutritious options, the company states.
Tyler Maneth

Jessica Krueger: Ziwi is the global leader and innovator of air-dried nutrition. Ethically and sustainably sourced in New Zealand, we combine the nutrition found in raw diets with the safe convenience of dry foods through our air-drying process. We proudly craft air-dried and canned recipes for dogs and cats, as well as treats and chews for dogs at our own kitchens in New Zealand. What sets us apart from our competitors is our ethical sourcing practices and wholesome New Zealand ingredients, alongside our unmatched recipes featuring PeakPrey ratios, and our company’s commitment to providing pet guardians peace of mind through peak nutrition.
Krueger: The ideal diet for your dog or cat is the one they were biologically designed to eat, which is high in meat with the inclusions of organs and bone with low carbs. If you don’t like handling raw meat or prefer the convenience of dry foods, Ziwi Peak air-dried is an easy alternative. Made up of 96 percent meat, organs and bone, it’s air-dried slowly and gently to preserve all the nutrients of the raw ingredients, but without the need to freeze, refrigerate or prepare—just scoop and serve. And with at least a 10 percent blend of superfoods in each recipe, your dog or cat is guaranteed to receive the nutrients they need to thrive. 
Krueger: New Zealand green lipped mussels: As one of the most sustainable seafood options, they are the only species of mussel to contain a bioactive protein that acts as an anti-inflammatory, plus they help support joint function as a natural source of glucosamine and chondroitin. These delicacies are also a reliable source of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which promote healthy skin and coat. You will find 3 percent of New Zealand green lipped mussel in all Ziwi air-dried and canned recipes.
Cold-washed green tripe: With an inclusion of 7 percent cold-washed green tripe that is never bleached, scalded nor steamed, we provide a natural source of vitamins, minerals and amino acids. Our unique air-drying process preserves the nutrients of the green tripe to help provide support for healthy digestion and increase palatability for even the pickiest eaters. It is also important to note that Ziwi matches the source of tripe to the specific meat sources for the product.
Krueger: Unlike conventional dry foods that are mass-produced and cooked at high temperatures, our recipes are prepared simply. A modern take on centuries-old meat preserving techniques, our Z-TWINTECH air-drying technology locks in the goodness of our raw ingredients, without the use of artificial preservatives. Made in small batches, every recipe starts by blending our ingredients. Each mixture includes raw or fresh meat, seafood, organs and bone, and is boosted with superfoods. Our mixture is then poured onto trays and placed into our dual-stage Z-TWINTECH dryers. Our food will begin to dry from the gentle circular movement of air. Our slow and gentle air-drying process removes pathogenic bacteria, while locking in the goodness of our ingredients. Every batch is prepared naturally, free from artificial preservatives. Once dried, our foods are then cut into bite-sized pieces, and quality tested to meet international food standards.
Krueger: As the global leader in air-dried leadership and innovation, Ziwi has come leaps and bounds since our founding in 2002. In growing and improving our recipes and product portfolio, Ziwi has been able to increasingly reach pet guardians and make impacts in their lives through peak nutrition for cats and dogs. In moving forward, we are nearing the end of the construction phase of a brand-new kitchen that will be the largest pet food manufacturing facility in New Zealand. The new production kitchen will be fitted with the latest processing technology, capable of doubling Ziwi’s current output. It will also have new air-dried technology, which will allow the development of new product lines, ensuring that Ziwi maintains its global leadership in the air-dried pet food category. In addition, Ziwi has many exciting announcements soon to come about what we’ve been working behind the scenes on.
New Zealand green lipped mussels and cold-washed green tripe are unique ingredients featured in Ziwi’s range of pet diets, which offer pet owners sustainably sourced and nutritious options, the company states.
Krueger: What we have noticed is the ever-evolving humanization of pets as true family members, especially thanks to more time spent together at home due to the pandemic. Pet guardians continue to humanize their pets and want to feed them a variety of foods that are nutritious and flavorful, with the “building a bowl” concept to achieve peak nutrition continuing to gain popularity. Ziwi’s nutrient-dense air-dried and can recipes provide a great base for smaller dogs and an excellent topper for larger dogs.
Another trend we’ve seen in the premium space is supporting brands and products that are ethically and sustainably sourced. Consumers want to support a brand whose practices help support maintaining our planet’s natural resources. All of Ziwi’s proteins are ethically and sustainably sourced by our New Zealand farmers who believe in their role as kaitiaki—or guardians of the land, sea and its creatures. Their beliefs and practices make sure that there are resources available for the generations to come. 
Krueger: It can be a challenging task to find the right topper that provides the right nutrients and ingredients to help your dog live its best life. All Ziwi Peak air-dried recipes make for an excellent meal topper, as well as complete meal or treat on its own. When it comes to the proper ingredients, all Ziwi Peak air-dried recipes are complete and balanced, featuring ethically sourced New Zealand meats, organs, bone and seafood, which make up 96 percent of the total recipe. Each recipe also includes a minimum 10 percent superfood blend, including cold-washed green tripe or poultry heart for palatability, whole New Zealand green mussels for skin and joint health, and organic kelp for additional trace minerals, providing a mouthwatering nutritional boost for any canine companion. 
Krueger: There is also a growing interest in the use of supplements to enhance their pet’s diet. As consumers are becoming more educated on the ingredients in their dog’s food, they are looking to boost the nutritional value that may be lacking in their current kibble diet. This has led to a significant increase in toppers and supplements in the market. All of Ziwi’s recipes include a 10 percent superfood boost to provide many of the nutritional benefits lacking in many traditional dog foods. And because it is complete and balanced, Ziwi can be used as a topper or a complete meal. 
Krueger: There has never been a greater need to support independent retailers and local communities than during this time. Last year, Ziwi launched its brand-new online module to help provide retailers with the training they need to better educate customers on the nutritional benefits of Ziwi. When it comes to answering consumers’ questions on pet nutrition, local pet food retailers are the frontline of pet nutrition education. Ziwi has also updated its store locator, highlighting additional services neighborhood pet stores provide, including home delivery and curbside pickup. As we’ve seen retailers make a greater shift into the digital space, Ziwi has also provided social media kits to provide retailers with pre-developed content, and, as of recent, partnered with Promoboxx to automate that content. We are continuously seeking additional ways to support our retailers.  
Krueger: Ziwi will continue to be the world leader and innovator of air-dried nutrition. With the launch of our new kitchen, we will be able to meet consumer demand at full force, and while we can’t give away too much just yet, we have some very exciting innovation pieces in the queue that we are sure our customers will love. Stay tuned!
Heather Hickey
Heather Hickey joined the Ziwi USA team in 2017 and has 17 years of premium pet food sales experience, with considerable expertise building and leading sales organizations within the natural/holistic pet food industry. Heather is passionate about pet nutrition and brings extensive sales and management experience to the Ziwi team. With the addition of her experience, we ensured that we can continue to exceed our North American sales objectives and maintain Ziwi’s global leadership position in air-dried nutrition. She is a steadfast supporter of our retailers and a true advocate for peak pet nutrition.
Tyler Maneth
Tyler joined Ziwi more than four years ago and has worked in a wealth of roles across operations, e-com, and marketing, giving him a well-rounded acumen of Ziwi’s overall operations, ensuring his clear oversight of the marketing department. He heads all marketing efforts across digital and traditional platforms, both to consumers and retailers alike. From launching Ziwi’s online efforts to retailer engagement programs, he is focused on a seamless purchasing experience for all Ziwi buyers and developing the department to spearhead innovation and growth.
Jessica Krueger
Jessica joined the Ziwi team this past February as the new marketing manager. She has been tasked with growing brand awareness and fine-tuning marketing strategies to spread the education of who Ziwi is and why we are the best. Most recently, she oversaw the addition of Promoboxx, which is an instrumental tool in delivering and automating social media content for retailers. She is excited to join the pet industry and looks forward to being a part of the future growth of Ziwi.
Get updates delivered to your inbox weekly.

source