[Pet&Life] Even "Gachelin Course Meals": Pet Food by Major Corporations

Tuna, Balanced Nutrition, Tofu, and Meat: Bringing Core Strengths to the Pet Market

Dongwon Expands Into Lifestyle and Overseas, Daesang Focuses on Senior Pet Health

Pulmuone Offers Tailored Nutrition, Harim Differentiates With "Fresh Food"

After stimulating the appetite with kabocha squash soup, followed by Bolognese spaghetti and a beef dish, the course is finished off with ice cream. This is not for humans but a course meal for dogs. It is "The Real Gaesheullang," operated by Harim Pet Food at its pet food-only production facility, Happy Dance Studio (HDS), in Gongju, South Chungcheong Province. The price is 10,000 won. Currently, weekend reservations are fully booked through May of next year.

As the dining trends for companion animals evolve, food companies are accelerating their moves. Beyond regular pet food and snacks, the business scope has now broadened to include freshly cooked meals, liquid diets, nutritional supplements, lifestyle goods such as pet beds, and even experiential spaces.

If you examine the pet business operations of four food companies—Dongwon Industries' Dongwon F&B, Daesang, Pulmuone, and Harim—one clear similarity emerges. They have each brought their strengths in food for humans to the pet market. Dongwon has leveraged its more than 30 years of experience in wet food manufacturing and tuna expertise; Daesang has applied its skills in balanced nutrition and nutritional formulation; Pulmuone has repurposed its core food products such as tofu into pet treats; and Harim has transferred its know-how in meat procurement, food manufacturing, and quality control to pet food production. However, each company’s expansion strategy is unique.

Provided by Daesang Pet Life, Dr. Newto Nutricare.

From Cat Tuna Cans to Pet Beds

The company with the longest history in the pet food business is Dongwon F&B. Utilizing tuna can manufacturing technology, it has been exporting wet food cans for cats to Japan for over 30 years since 1991. Currently, pet food is exported to more than 10 countries, including Japan, Vietnam, and Hong Kong, with cumulative domestic and international sales reaching approximately 700 million units. Last year, pet food business revenue increased by more than 10% compared to the previous year.

The flagship brand "Nutri Plan" offers products ranging from tuna-based cat wet cans and pouch/stick snacks to dog food and freshly cooked meals. Recently, the company has also expanded its efforts into the dog market. In 2024, Dongwon added a production line for container-based dog food at its Changwon plant. Its signature offering, "Nutri Plan Soft Immune," features freshly cooked meals prepared by boiling or steaming meat and vegetables. Last year, sales of Soft Immune increased more than tenfold over the previous year.

Through its lifestyle brand "arrr," Dongwon has also launched snacks, dental products, and lifestyle items like pet beds. While Nutri Plan focuses on food, arrr targets the lifestyle needs of pets.

International investment is increasing as well. Dongwon Group is building a dedicated pet food production line at its U.S. affiliate StarKist's tuna can factory in Samoa. Red-flesh tuna, separated during the canning process, is used as an ingredient for pet food. In the second half of this year, the company also plans to expand sales via Chewy, the U.S.-based online retailer for pet products.

‘New Care’ for People Transformed into a Liquid Diet for Dogs

Daesang has turned its attention to the aging companion animal market. In February 2023, Daesang Pet Life was established, and in July of the same year, the health brand "Dr. Newto" targeting pets aged seven and older was launched. Last year, Daesang Pet Life's revenue increased by around 25% compared to a year earlier.

Emphasizing health management products over general food, Daesang focuses on recovery and liquid diets, nutritional snacks, protein drinks, and supplements. Recipes are developed taking into account veterinary nutrition by veterinarians trained at Seoul National University, and products are separately designed according to the nutritional needs for dogs and cats.

The product that most clearly showcases Daesang’s main business expertise is “Nutricare,” a liquid diet for dogs. It was jointly developed with "New Care," which is Daesang’s balanced nutrition food for people. The formulation is soft and diluted so that elderly dogs or those recovering post-surgery can eat it with ease. The nutritional formulation expertise gained from making human recovery food has been applied to dog food.

The company also segments products by specific health concerns. The bronchial support supplement “Sneezing Care Breath & Heart,” released in 2024, surpassed 1 million units in cumulative sales. Since then, Daesang has expanded its range to address joint, eye, and digestive health. Products tailored for post-treatment recovery and health management, such as “Recovery Porridge Duck,” “Joint Pet Milk,” and “Eyes Cereal,” exclusively for animal hospitals, have also been launched.

Daesang Pet Life plans to strengthen its lineup of tailored nutritional supplements and staple foods for senior pets aged seven and older. It will also broaden sales channels through specialist offline pet distribution networks and global e-commerce platforms.

Provided by Dongwon F&B.

Dog Treats Made by a Tofu Company

Pulmuone is utilizing its strengths from its existing food business in pet food. The key product is tofu. Its pet food brand, "Pulmuone Amio," began with "Tofu Nuggets" for dogs at the end of 2022 and has since expanded its lineup to include tofu-based snacks and "Veggie Packed Tofu Bars."

Pulmuone’s tofu snacks include oats and brown rice along with its core tofu product. The “Veggie Packed Tofu Bar” uses fish as the main ingredient, with 11% Pulmuone tofu, carrot, and broccoli added. By using human-grade Pulmuone tofu as a dog food ingredient, Pulmuone is leveraging its expertise. Going forward, the company plans to further expand pet food products using not only tofu but also eggs and natto, areas where it has established strengths.

Pulmuone Amio’s compound annual growth rate in sales from 2023 to 2025 is 44.7%. Last year’s revenue increased by 33% over the previous year. At the beginning of this year, Pulmuone included the pet food business under its newly established “Future Business Division’s New Growth Strategic Business Unit (SBU),” which reports directly to the CEO.

The product range is also becoming more sophisticated. Recently, the company introduced "Healthy Soft Brown Rice Snack" for dogs aged seven and older. The snack is formulated with a soft texture using brown rice and oatmeal, taking into account that chewing ability may decline with age. Pulmuone is also considering the development of dedicated food for large breed dogs in the future.

Provided by Harim Pet Food.

Food Produced Fresh Daily for Sale

Harim has concentrated on applying the same ingredient sourcing, manufacturing, and quality control methods it uses for human food to its pet food business. The company entered the pet food market in earnest in 2017 with “The Real,” “Babi Boyak,” and "30 Days: The Most Delicious Time." In 2022, it turned an operating profit, and in 2023, revenue reached 45.7 billion won.

Harim's key value proposition is “100% human grade” ingredients and “0% synthetic preservatives.” All ingredients used are edible-grade, and its pet food is manufactured at the dedicated Happy Dance Studio in Gongju, South Chungcheong Province. For chilled or frozen ingredients, Harim tracks temperature history throughout the transportation process. The Harim Group food affiliate’s quality assurance (QA) team conducts monthly inspections of the facility, applying the same standards used for human food factories.

Freshness has also been turned into a selling point. Its flagship product, "30 Days: The Most Delicious Time," has both the expiration date and production date labeled—just like human food. Orders are placed according to the production schedule, and products made on the same day are delivered to customers. Each package is subdivided in 500g portions and is recommended to be consumed within 30 days of production, where possible. The competitiveness of the pet food thus expands from “what it’s made from” to “when it’s made.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.