MBRF Pet starts exporting to the USA in search of the largest global market for dog and cat food

São Paulo | Reuters MBRF Pet, the pet food division of the MBRF group, has started exporting higher value-added wet foods to the United States market, an executive told Reuters this Friday (10). These products account for more than 40% of the sector's global revenue.

Selling just over 3 billion portions to feed dogs and cats per year, the company is among the leaders in the Brazilian market, the third largest global market, also behind China.

But the company still counts on the strong growth export market to expand business. "Entering the United States represents a milestone in MBRF Pet's internationalization strategy," said MBRF Pet director, Stanley Andrade.

Arriving in the North American market could boost the company's foreign sales, which saw growth of 18% abroad this year.

The company currently sells to 20 markets, up from 15 two years ago, while it plans to expand external destinations to 26 by the end of 2027.

To sell to the USA, the company already has two of the five units qualified, one of them in Bastos (SP) and the other in Doctor Juan León Mallorquín, in Paraguay, close to Foz do Iguaçu (PR).

MBRF Pet does not detail its financial data. But the executive highlighted that the "pet food" segment is expected to earn R$42.96 billion in Brazil in 2026, according to a projection by Abempet (Brazilian Association of Companies in the Pet Sector).

The sector's external sales totaled R$3.3 billion in 2025, a growth of 12% compared to the previous year, according to Abempet.

Sales outside Brazil (including exports) represent almost 20% of the total billed by the pet unit. Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay are the main foreign markets.

In the US, the strategy will be to "enter gradually", while this destination should be a priority in the future.

"In this market, there is no [initial] objective of accelerating too much, we have to create a brand, we have to be on the shelves, with wet foods, then [selling] dry foods via Paraguay", he stated, without establishing a goal.

In the past, the company even evaluated the sale of the pet food unit, which emerged several years ago after a series of acquisitions. But this alienation process ended in 2023.

Now, said the executive, the focus is to grow organically, and there are no intentions of acquisitions for now.

"We have a plan to reach leadership through internationalization and added value", he highlighted.

The pet food segment has important integrations with the meat production of MBRF, one of the largest food companies in the world. In animal feed, products such as chicken and pork fat and flour are used.