The Canine Consumer
Finally the marketing humans are realizing the immense purchasing power of doggies (via their obedient masters).By the way, ignore the typo in the last sentence of the article (below). 10% was really supposed to be 90%!
Dreyer's Scoops Up a Share of Doggie Treats Market
Frosty Paws ice cream has become its most profitable product line.
By Jerry Hirsch, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
Dreyer's, the maker of Haagen-Dazs and other top ice cream brands, has discovered that doggie ice cream is something to bark about.
Sold in the freezer section near the Drumsticks and Popsicles, Frosty Paws Frozen Treats for Dogs has quietly become the most profitable product line at Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream Holdings Inc., the nation's largest ice cream company.
Oakland-based Dreyer's is expanding the line to include a second flavor, peanut butter, and has slapped a Purina label on the product to make it more appealing to dog owners. Purina and Dreyer's are controlled by Swiss food giant Nestle.
Frosty Paws Original flavor, described by company executives as sort of a doggie vanilla, has been around for more than a decade, growing to a $10-million product line.
Although that's just a tiny fraction of the nearly $1.6 billion Dreyer's collected in sales last year, Americans' penchant for indulging their pets has turned the treat into the highest-profit-margin item produced by the company, said Candy Marciano, a Dreyer's assistant brand manager. The new Frosty Paws flavor, which sells for $3.59 for a four-pack of 3.5-ounce cups, is being rolled out in most of the state's major grocery chains.
The success of the Original flavor, mostly on the East Coast, sent Dreyer's looking for a line extension that would be palatable for the pooch and attractive to the human who pushes the shopping cart.
"Beef-flavored ice cream wouldn't be that compelling, especially to the owner," Marciano said. "We did some studies and found that all dogs love peanut butter.
"Dreyer's is tapping into an explosion in the amount Americans spend on their pets each year, said Bob Vetere, managing director of the American Pet Products Manufacturers Assn. in Reno.
Pet spending has more than doubled to $35.9 billion from $17 billion in 1994, he said. Pet food alone is a $14.5-billion-a-year industry. The typical dog owner spends $68 annually on dog treats.
"We are seeing a trend where human product makers are making line extensions into the pet business," Vetere said.
Indeed, the idea of serving a dog a treat typically enjoyed by humans sounds intriguing to Kim Santell, owner of Planet Doggy Daycare in Pasadena.
"I would go out and try it," Santell said, "but I am kind of a dog kook."Santell has fed her beagle Kelly and other canines regular ice cream, only to have them vomit. Frosty Paws, however, is lactose free and is formulated to work with a dog's digestive system, Marciano said.
Dog goodies are an important way of maintaining the human-animal bond, said Scott Campbell, a veterinary nutrition expert at UC Davis.
But, as with people, he said, treats should be used in moderation. "Just as there is in humans, we are seeing an increased obesity in dogs.
"A good rule of thumb is to limit treats to no more than 10% of a dog's recommended daily caloric intake, he said.
posted by Sam the black GSD @ 10:31 PM
6 Comments:
Oh! YUM. I have to get my driver to take me to the store. How is it that we never heard of this before?
10%! I wish. Ever since my eyes got all scratchy, I have to eat only one thing. Venison and potatos, venison and potatos. Wait that's two things, isn't it . . . hmmmm that makes me hungry. HEY HUMAN, WHERE'S MY VENISON AND POTATOS. WAKE UUUUUUUUUP!
Cal
Sammy,
I had commented on Moon's blog (http://www.moonthedog.com/) earlier about Frosty Paws. I had said,
'Yeah, they're really good. I had my first one just over three years ago or so in Denver town. Just the other day my typist read to me that Frosty Paws is Dreyer's most profitable product. I think humans should buy those for us but cut them up into thirds or so. That way Dreyer's won't make as much money off of us and we still get the good stuff.
I am getting upset that companies are taking advantage of our humans because they love us so much. If you knew how much those toys we chew up really cost and how much our humans over pay for them it would spin your head. Yes, we deserve all of it but as dogs we have to help our humans make ends meet.'
Just go to http://www.petedge.com/toys and see the price of some of the toys wholesale versus retail. Scary!
Woof!
Freda
I just bought a box of Frosty Paws last weekend for a very special German Shepherd that I know. Plus, the dog's owner is a wonderful person, and sometimes I spoil him rotten. But, I do care about him, and I think that he is one of the neatest people that I know. Anyway, I saw him Sunday morning, and told him that the Frosty Paws was for his pooch, and I hope she enjoys them. Frosty paws... what a wonderful idea! Hey, there are frozen treats out for people, so why not for pooches? I think that his doggie is enjoying herself, and barking with delight!
One thing that I should warn about Frosty Paws: Let the treat thaw out a little before giving to your dog, or they will get brain freeze. The manufacturers should put this on all of their Frosty paws packaging, so that no dog gets sick. I should have told my friend about that, and I hope the dog is not sick. Brain freeze is not funny.
Frosty Paws... Frosty Paws!!! Let all the pooches' saliva flow. Mmmmm! A frozen treat that is not ice cream, but dogs think it will. Treats for pooches, treats for pooches! Let the dogs dig in, and enjoy themselves with this wonderful treat. Be the dog be a Dalmatian, a Chihauha, or a German Shepherd. German Shepherd, to Labradors, to poodles. All breeds of canine pals will love Frosty Paws! Bark-a-licious!!!Bark! Bark!
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