BACKGROUND / CHALLENGE:

In February 2020, CJ Foods, Inc., a Bern, Kansas-based manufacturer of premium and super-premium pet food for leading brands acquired American Nutrition, Inc (ANI) based in Ogden, Utah. The business works with leading brands like Wal-Mart, Costco, and Chewy to produce some of their biggest best-selling, private-label brands. Together, the newly combined firm produces over one billion pounds of pet food per year.

CJ Foods, Inc., along with J.H. Whitney Capital Partners – its private equity owner – approached WANT Branding to create a positioning, name and identity for the new entity.

With a remit to work fast and deliver the new brand fundamentals in under 75 days, our project commenced with a comprehensive discovery program of executive stakeholders from both CJ Foods and ANI, and also included private equity stakeholders. We analyzed competitive pet food manufacturers, as well as a range of pet food product brands to understand their strengths and weaknesses.

SOLUTION:

Using the knowledge foundation from the discovery phase, we learned that B2B customers weren’t just seeking a competent manufacturer of pet food, but rather, a partner who could help them grow their business. The newly combined firm’s ability to proactively partner with customers and enable them to deliver new products and solutions, that would not only meet the ever-shifting tastes of pet owners and their pets, but also help them create new revenue and growth opportunities were what made the brand special and unique. Hence, the new brand positioning idea ‘Partners Delivering Growth’ was chosen to underscore the deep partnership Alphia provides and the benefit this partnership brings its customers.

WANT created the short, powerful name of ‘Alphia’ for the newly combined entity. The name derives from the idea of the ‘alpha dog’ and points to the company’s leadership in the industry. Alphia’s CMO said it best: “The Alphia name resonated with us from the moment we saw it.”

Our design team created the ‘top dog’ logo which underscores Alphia’s position as the “alpha dog” of the pet food industry manufactures each year more than one billion pounds of dry, canned and baked pet food and treats that are known for delivering growth for its customers, employees and communities.

OUTCOME:

The new Alphia brand was successfully launched on June 8. Speaking about the new brand, Dave McClain, Alphia’s CEO commented “Alphia signifies our company’s leadership role in the pet food industry in partnership and growth. With the unification of C.J. Foods and American Nutrition, the Alphia brand has an unparalleled marketplace intelligence, research and development expertise with turnkey production and supply chain capabilities.”

“Alphia will build on the outstanding reputations of C.J. Foods and American Nutrition as its skilled team focuses on delivering the highest quality super-premium pet food and treats,” says Tod Morgan, Chairman of the Board. “This partnership delivers growth for our customers, employees and communities.”