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Even pet food premix carriers must meet consumer demands

Published by Dustin Dover, Chief Operating Officer at
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Even pet food premix carriers must meet consumer demands
 


The world of pet food is an interesting reality.  A growing number of consumers are demanding better ingredients, and complete traceability in their pet food.  We have learned in recent years that even the smallest amounts of ingredients can lead to customer dissatisfaction.  As retail brands look to satisfy customer requests, every process in the supply chain is being reevaluated.  I want to spend a few minutes talking about a very small part of that process, premixes, and their carriers.  

Premixes are a vital part of the formulation of the diet, as is the carrier for said premix.  In the past customers did not ask questions when trace amounts of ingredients, like rice hulls were used as the premix carrier.  However, customer transparency is growing and brands are forced to reevaluate even the smallest amount of ingredient inclusion.  When making claims, like “all-natural” or “grain free” we have a responsibility as an industry to make sure that even the smallest trace amounts are in line with our branding.  

As the industry has moved to this new era of customer involvement, we have seen an influx of costly human-grade ingredients start showing up in the diets.  Even in places that bring little to no value, like a premix carrier.  As marketers move away from premix carriers like rice hulls, they are looking for suitable replacements, this has resulted in new premix carries entering the market such as pea and oat fiber. With ingredients like these we expect to pay more, because the quality is higher, however, they still have their limitations, like traceability.   

At MFiber we take pride in offering suitable replacements for low end ingredients, like rice hulls, while still maintaining the quality of human grade ingredients like pea and oat fiber.  We are able to do this all while maintaining the highest level of integrity.  Through our vertically integrated supply chain, we are able to control cost, while also offering complete traceability.  MFiber has a product that is an ideal fit for premix carriers that meets the demand of your customers.  

To learn more about our other carrier options read  "The highly absorbent nature of MFiber makes it the ideal carrier."


Dustin Dover
Dustin Dover, Chief Operating Officer
Dustin Dover has worked with the Miscanthus giganteus project since its inception in 2011. He originally started as the Southwest Missouri Project Manager and was responsible for working with local famers and coordinating the planting of over 3,000 acres of Miscanthus in Southwest Missouri. After the initial planting Dustin began securing markets for harvested Miscanthus and oversaw the development, budget and final specifications of the $8 million processing facility. Miscanthus has never been processed on this scale in the US and the conversion facility had to be completely created from scratch. Dustin now works as the Chief Operating Officer for Renew Biomass and leads a team of employees to oversee production and the manufacturing of M-Fiber. Dustin grew up in Bentonville, Arkansas and graduated from Texas Bible College. After graduation Dustin spent two years serving as a youth pastor. He also traveled regularly doing global missions with time spent in India. In 2005 Dustin transitioned fully into business. Early in his career he was influenced by the vendor and entrepreneurial culture of Northwest Arkansas. He worked as an account lead for one of six companies approved by Walmart for in store event marketing. Just prior to the recession of 2008 Dustin saw an opportunity to move into agriculture and began a career with Willow Brook Foods which was later bought by Cargill. Shortly after the Cargill purchase Dustin transitioned to MFA Oil and spent seven years working for the farmer-owned energy cooperative. He now lives near Springfield, Missouri with wife and three young daughters. They have a small hobby farm and are active in their community specifically leading a small group of 40 adults through their church.