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Old May 5th, 2010, 01:10 PM
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Unhappy This can't be good.

I may need to rethink the gangs food brand.


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http://www.pginvestor.com/phoenix.zh...cle&ID=1422726


P&G Acquires Natura Pet Products

P&G Expands Further in 'Super Premium' Pet Food Segment

CINCINNATI, May 5, 2010 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ --The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE: PG) has signed an agreement to acquire Natura Pet Products, Inc., a privately-held pet food business based in Davis, California.



This move enables P&G to expand into the attractive "holistic and naturals" segment of the pet food category, complementing P&G's current Iams and Eukanuba brands and helping the Company advance its overall growth strategy of "reaching more consumers in more parts of the world more completely."

Natura's brands include Innova, Evo, California Natural, Healthwise, Mother Nature and Karma. These brands are sold in a limited number of pet specialty stores and through veterinarians, mainly in the United States and Canada.

"These outstanding brands and the great employees of Natura Pet Products will complement our Eukanuba and Iams brands very well," said Dan Rajczak, senior vice president of P&G's global pet care and snacks businesses. "This acquisition gives us a strong position in the holistic and natural pet food segment. It will enable us to enhance the health and well-being of even more dogs and cats and represents an exciting new source of growth for our business."

"It's time for the right company to take our brands to the next level of growth. P&G is that company," said John Rademakers, founder and owner of Natura Pet Products. "We know that P&G will honor our history as they capitalize on their strengths to build these brands."

Natura Pet Products employs about 140 people, mainly at its production sites in San Leandro, California and Fremont, Nebraska. P&G is targeting to close this deal in about a month, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory clearances. Specific terms of the deal are not being disclosed.

About Procter & Gamble


Four billion times a day, P&G brands touch the lives of people around the world. The company has one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Pampers(R), Tide(R), Ariel(R), Always(R), Whisper(R), Pantene(R), Mach3(R), Bounty(R), Dawn(R), Gain(R), Pringles(R), Charmin(R), Downy(R), Lenor(R), Iams(R), Crest(R), Oral-B(R), Duracell(R), Olay(R), Head & Shoulders(R), Wella(R), Gillette(R), Braun(R) and Fusion(R). The P&G community includes about 135,000 employees working in about 80 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands.

SOURCE Procter & Gamble
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Old May 5th, 2010, 01:14 PM
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Oh crap. I'm very sad to read this.
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Old May 5th, 2010, 02:09 PM
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That sucks. I know a lot of you feed their brands. Since P&G is acquiring them to try and get into holistic food, hopefully they'll keep the formulas instead of just using the names to gain customers.

Even if they do keep the formulas the same, I would hate to give money to a company that I feel has been ethically questionable over the years, especially regarding animals and their pet food division.
What do you do if your animal has been doing extremely well on one of the Natura foods though? This puts a lot of people in a tough position.
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Old May 5th, 2010, 02:19 PM
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I just logged on to post this information as well. I am beyond shocked, saddened and disgusted.
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Old May 5th, 2010, 02:28 PM
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I'm hoping they keep things as they are. It would be pretty stupid to acquire a brand known for being a holistic one and then start changing things. It defeats the purpose and the customer base they came in with will slowly dwindle down.

I'm going to start looking for another brand. This really blows giant cow patties!
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Old May 5th, 2010, 02:42 PM
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Years ago Iams and Eukanuba used to be considered top quality until they were bought out by Proctor & Gamble.
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Old May 5th, 2010, 02:46 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rainbow View Post
Years ago Iams and Eukanuba used to be considered top quality until they were bought out by Proctor & Gamble.
I remember that. It was one of those brands I never saw in the super market, and I see them all the time now.

I'm supposed to pick up the gangs food today or tomorrow. I'm going to have a look around the shop to see what other brands they have that come in the 13.5 oz cans, or even the 5 oz cans.
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Old May 5th, 2010, 04:32 PM
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A-G,if yours don't like Wellness,try the Eagle Pack Holistic,my cats love it,as well as Wellness.
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Old May 5th, 2010, 04:35 PM
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As I said in the thread in the food forum.....If I know something is made by P&G I don't buy it.....they do horrific trials on animals to test their products
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Old May 5th, 2010, 05:06 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ancientgirl View Post
I'm hoping they keep things as they are. It would be pretty stupid to acquire a brand known for being a holistic one and then start changing things. It defeats the purpose and the customer base they came in with will slowly dwindle down.

I'm going to start looking for another brand. This really blows giant cow patties!
You would be surprised. A lot of people feed holistic brands out of recommendation from people, or because it looks like a good brand and says holistic. I doubt everyone that feeds Natura's brands is like us and actually reads every single ingredient. A lot of people would probably be willing to stick with the brand just because the name is still the same and it still claims to be holistic, even if P&G starts adding fillers. Some of the less knowledgeable people that do read ingredients may be able to be fooled by labeling tricks like breaking ingredients down into several components, etc..
P&G knows what they're doing to make a profit and keep costs down. They may keep the ingredients the same for quite awhile, but I doubt they will do it long term. Hopefully they will though, because with their large scale buying power and distribution abilities they could bring better quality pet food to a lot of people that don't have access to the smaller scale sellers that normally sell Natura's brands.
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Old May 5th, 2010, 06:16 PM
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Originally Posted by chico2 View Post
A-G,if yours don't like Wellness,try the Eagle Pack Holistic,my cats love it,as well as Wellness.
I'm going to see what they carry at the shop I get the gangs food. Maybe I'll ask them if they are able to get Eagle Pack from their distributor.
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Old May 5th, 2010, 06:26 PM
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Crap !!!!
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Old May 5th, 2010, 10:08 PM
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Oy!
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Old May 5th, 2010, 10:11 PM
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Oh, I was just coming here to post this as well! I should have known it would already be here!!! I am just disgusted by this. I don't feed Natura pet currently, but it still upsets me to know what could happen to what are currently good food options. If Orijen ever got sold out this like, I would seriously cry.
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Old May 5th, 2010, 10:14 PM
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oh well crap....not only do I feed the CalNat, but so do my parents....and we just found a place where it's cheap to boot!!!!

I've been looking at a new one out up here called Oven Baked (made in Canada, ingredients look good, they have a grain free called parallel)....anyone have any opinions on that one? Cause if P&G is taking over CalNat I might as well switch them slowly now as I only have half a bag left.

BOOOOOO to people who start these great companies who make quality pet food only to sell out
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Old May 6th, 2010, 07:40 AM
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Kr, you hit it on the head, "sell out!"
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Old May 7th, 2010, 12:32 PM
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Natura sends letters to independent store owners.

Here's an update on this. I still don't feel good about it. Just because P&G promise not to mess with the formula, who's to say they aren't going to just give it some time and then change everything?

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Follow up Information about Natura Sale


From the message Natura sent to independent pet stores, to P & G troubles on Wall Street, to the latest – a survey from Natura questioning pet owners about the sale; here’s more news.

The following is the email sent to retailers on May 5, 2010 from Natura regarding the sale to Proctor & Gamble…

"Dear Natura Retailer:

Today the stockholders of Natura Pet Products have agreed to an acquisition by The Procter & Gamble Company. This transaction holds the promise of combining Natura’s outstanding natural pet food and treat brands with the vast resources of P&G to accelerate Natura’s growth in the holistic/natural segment of the pet food market. As you know, John and Ann are in their 70’s and wish to focus on their retirement. They have worked very hard over the years and now they want to (and deserve to) enjoy the rest of their life without the risk and worry associated with operating a large and complex business.

John, Ann and I believe that, based on our lengthy dialogue with P&G Pet Care Management and learning about their thoughts and plans for the business, it was appropriate to pursue a transaction with them. We feel a transaction with P&G would afford Natura employees and business partners the best opportunities in the future, and that they would best protect the “nutritional promise” that has made Natura Pet Products so successful.

Significant synergies which exist between the Natura business and P&G’s Pet Care business will be tapped to promote greater dynamics, competitiveness, and support in the market place. The “holistic/natural” segment of the Pet Specialty market, which Natura is credited with establishing with its founding products, is today the fastest growing segment in the pet food industry. P&G is interested in further expansion into this very attractive and exciting market arena and the acquisition of Natura Pet Products will enable a complementary opportunity to do so alongside P&G’s current Iams and Eukanuba brands. This move highlights P&G’s commitment to continued growth and investment in the Pet Food Industry and in particular the Independent Pet Specialty Channel.

In this transaction, P&G will be acquiring our manufacturing facilities in Fremont, NE and San Leandro, CA along with the full complement of Natura employees. P&G intends to operate Natura Pet Products as an independent entity, essentially intact, for the foreseeable future. With the exception of John, Ann and me, Natura’s current operating management team will remain in their respective positions and your contacts within Natura and our mutual business relationship will remain unchanged. All of the distributor contracts will be honored and continued as they are today. For the foreseeable future Natura will operate as a separate business unit within P&G Pet Care.

It is important to note that today’s announcement is that of a purchase agreement and not the closing of the actual sale which is subject to customary closing conditions, including receiving regulatory approval. Natura will continue to operate as an independent company until the final closing, which is anticipated to occur in approximately one month.

2779 Rademakers Way, Fremont, NE 68025 Tel: (402) 727-0870 Fax: (402)
727-0492
591 Montague Avenue, San Leandro, CA 94577 Tel: (510) 357-7268 Fax: (510)
357-3935
330 Madison Place, Davis, CA 95618 Tel: (530) 601-5300 Fax: (530) 601-5340
www.naturapet.com

John, Ann and I are excited about Natura’s future and know that the equity of our brands combined with the many business synergies and scale of resources within P&G will result in faster and exciting growth for the entire Natura business. P&G is relying on Natura’s brands to play a key role in the growth of P&G Pet Care. Accurate information is crucial during this time of change. As you are asked about this deal, your help in providing the perspective above will minimize rumors and distraction to our business. We ask that everyone continue their focus on growing the Natura Pet Products brands. Thank you in advance for your continued support.

We sincerely appreciate your loyalty, support and friendship over the years and look forward to your continued success in growing the Natura business with P&G.

Sincerely,
Peter Atkins
Chief Executive Officer
Natura Pet Products"

A sharp independent pet store owner, knowing the ins and outs of the pet food industry, questioned Natura about possible formula changes in the future…she asked if retailers would be notified in advance. (Pet food regulations allow a manufacturer to change a pet food formula yet the packaging – ingredient list – does not have to show the changes for six months) Here is Natura’s response…

"I am sorry to hear you are disappointed. Please understand Natura will continue to aggressively support the Independent Pet Specialty channel of trade.

Additionally, our dedication to quality is not changing. P and G understands and respects our mission and our dedication to nutritional excellence. We will continue to provide the current formulas to our customers.

This acquisition gives us a strong position in the holistic and natural pet food segment. It will enable us to enhance the health and well-being of even more dogs and cats and represents an exciting new source of growth for our business.

Also know that P and G has made a commitment to John and Ann Rademakers that they will remain true to the Natura heritage and nutritional philosophy.

Warm Regards,
Tammy Barker
Natura Pet Products
Sales Support and Product Advisor"

Yesterday Proctor & Gamble stock took a huge hit on Wall Street. One story stated over one billion shares of PG was sold at one moment, causing the stock to drop in half. Some have said the drop was due to a computer error, others have stated flatly there was no error.
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Old May 7th, 2010, 01:31 PM
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I read that too and I hope P & G will continue to operate the existing plants with the same employees and not make any ingredient changes to cheapen the formula .....I guess time will tell.

Also from this website http://www.truthaboutpetfood.com/art...tura-sale.html there is a link to a survey about the sale of Natura to P & G but when I tried to take it I was told the quota for my profile was already full.

I never filled out a profile so don't know how they came up with that.
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Old May 7th, 2010, 02:17 PM
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The survey did the same to me. Maybe P&G hijacked them. I asked the store I get the gangs food to see if they could order Eagle Pack from their distributor. If they can, I'll start buying that and begin working it into their diet. I have no doubt the formula will change.
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Old May 7th, 2010, 02:21 PM
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Well now the marketprobe website says this ....

Quote:
Thank you for your interest in our survey about pet food.

This survey is only for a preselected group of consumers. You must have received an e-mail invitation directly from our Market Probe representative to participate.

This survey is not open to the general public.

The email invitation was probably only sent out to P & G employees.
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Old May 7th, 2010, 06:39 PM
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Bastages.
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Old May 7th, 2010, 07:09 PM
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Please do not buy anything that P&G make. They are the biggest company that still test the majority of their products on animals. Everything from food to cleaning supplies, etc.
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Old May 7th, 2010, 11:03 PM
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Caca...I just bought everybody cases of Evo and Innova!! Well before P & G gets ahold of them, but I'll have to watch the ingredients too! There's a few brands I still haven't tried yet.
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Old May 9th, 2010, 05:58 PM
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I am discontinuing the use of Natura products as soon as my bag of Healthwise is gone. Sorry, but I try to avoid the use of P&G products as much as possible and sure as heck wouldn't eat anything they make let alone feed it to my kitties!!!

Natura is one of the top brands we sell where I work so nooo idea what we are going to do now. My boss is trying to not get worried but I mean as soon as Nutro was sold to Iams he booted them right out the door.. such a shame.. Natura makes such great foods.. and has been the main food I've been feeding my guys since forever.


I think for my dry food I am going to switch to Fromm. For my canned I've been using Weruva alot more because my guys seem to really enjoy it and I like that it is the 'real food' vs. pate thing.


Not going to be recommending Nautra no more...
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Old June 5th, 2010, 07:53 AM
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Aaaargg!

I am HORRIFIED to read this news! Of all the companies they could've chosen to sell to and they choose P&G!!! This is quite sickening

Even if they didn't change one thing about the food (fat chance, eh?), I wouldn't touch it again! If they can resort to such animal cruelty, why in the world would they think twice about our pets welfare!

I personally dont buy anything made by P&G. I'm certainly not contributing one penny towards their inhumane treatment of animals!
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Old June 5th, 2010, 09:45 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chico2 View Post
A-G,if yours don't like Wellness,try the Eagle Pack Holistic,my cats love it,as well as Wellness.
I use Eagle Pack Holistic...have for many years with good results. It was bought out by Wellness a while ago and packaging became more colourful and smaller and the price did go up, but except for the removal of VitK for stabilization, the formula remained the same and my guys never noticed any difference....in canned or dry.....just my wallet - big time!

I have tried to avoid P&G for a long time now....this is not a good omen.
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