Rashell CooPeR, marketing di-
rector for Redbarn Pet Products in
long Beach, Calif.
What is your definition of Made in Usa?
A reasonable definition of Made
in USA means that the product
is not only manufactured in the
USA, but also that most of the ingredients are sourced from U.S.-based ingredient providers. We
have a comprehensive definition
of the word “manufactured.” In
our Great Bend, Kan., plant, Redbarn cooks, cleans, assembles
and packages the majority of our
products. This commitment to
providing American jobs, in combination with our dedication to
sourcing U.S.-based ingredients
whenever possible, makes us feel
confident in our use of “Made in
the USA” on the packaging.
Talk about pet products completely
sourced and made in the Usa versus those
assembled or formulated in the Usa but
sourced elsewhere.
While the sourcing of items from
the U.S. is important and does
contribute to high-quality pet
products, we find that the im-
portance of sourcing U.S. can
vary by ingredients. Some ingre-
dients from abroad are higher
quality than ingredients found
in the United States. Our bully
sticks are sourced and manufac-
tured in South America at a Red-
barn-owned plant that we hold to
the same quality assurance stan-
dards as our Kansas-based facility.
Products assembled in the United
States are typically subject to high-
er safety standards.
how likely is the Made in Usa trend to continue growing?
We’ve been manufacturing 80
percent of our product line in the
United States since 1997. While it
takes some time to develop good
supply chain and production
policies, we believe it’s worth
it to provide our customers
with safe and high-quality pet
products. Based on Redbarn’s
customer outreach, we see pet
parents becoming increasing-
ly educated and making more
informed decisions about what
ingredients they choose for their
pets. Our research suggests that
choosing products that are made
in the USA will continue to be a
huge selling point for customers.
VICkI WagNeR, president of
kennelmaster Foods Inc. in
New smyrna Beach, Fla.
What do you think is a reasonable
definition of Made in Usa?
We would like to say that
“made in the USA” means
made, sourced, assembled
and grown in the U.S. The
sad reality is that there are
some products that just aren’t available here.
how likely is it that more manufacturers in the pet industry will alter
their sourcing and manufacturing
to chase the U.s. label? are new
manufacturers making Made in the
Usa a priority in their mission?
I hope it’s very likely, because it’s not just the fact of
a safer product, it’s bring-ing jobs back home. It’s the
economy as much as the
quality of the product.
Based on your knowledge of the
U.s. market, how likely is the Made
in Usa trend to continue growing?
It is inevitable. Everything
I’ve read and experienced
indicates the Made in USA
trend is not slowing down.
eMeRald Pe T PRodUCTs’ smart n’ Tasty Twizzies Bits contain convenient lengths
of pet owners’ favorite Twizzies lasting chews in a value-sized bag. The 100 percent
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10-oz. bags of Chicky, Turducky, Piggy and Peanutty
formulas. The packages contain more than 40 in. of
chews. The chews are made and
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ral ingredients.
emeraldpet.com
NAVY PIER, CHICAGO, IL
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