Blanca, a deer-headed Chihuahua dog, will turn one this Christmas at the home of Janine, who works as a respiratory therapist. It was a gift given to her by her husband. Since then, she spends an average of $40 a month on feeding and other care for her pet, such as visits to the vet, bathing, haircuts, clothing and diapers.

When the enumerators arrived at his house, in the north of Guayaquil, last February, the pet was included as part of his house, where his father, mother and his children, aged 13 and 5, now integrate the statistics that the National Institute of Statistics and Census (INEC) presented this week, reflecting that 4.1 million Ecuadorian households have at least one pet.

This measurement, in addition to serving as a demographic input, confirms data from the pet products industry on the accelerated growth of the supply of this segment in the Ecuadorian market.

The number of households with pets already exceeds the total number of minors under the age of 12, the latest census shows

This was confirmed by Juan Carlos Díaz Granados, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce of Guayaquil (CCG), citing data from the Tax Administration (SRI) that show, for example, that the pet food industry has grown at an accelerated pace in recent years.

In 2022, local pet food sales totaled $168 million. This is a total of 40% more than what was recorded in 2021. The growth is even more significant if compared to the figures recorded before the pandemic, says Díaz Granados, noting that the sales of this industry are 111% higher than those registered. sector in 2019.

“In other words, the pet food industry has grown at a rapid rate since the pandemic and in a way the local sales figures are aligned with INEC’s preliminary census results. They claim that there are 4.1 million pets in Ecuador. In other words, one pet comes for every four Ecuadorians”, analyzes the executive director of CCG.

The offer has decided to diversify its products for pets. Now you can find diapers and wet wipes for dogs. Photo: María Teresa Martínez

The growth of this industry has attracted international brands to launch their products in the Ecuadorian market. This year it was the case of the Spanish dog food brand Arion, which landed in the country in April with its super-premium line Arion Titanium, through Gisis, a company that is part of the European Nutreco group that was already in the domestic market. with another line, Pet Star.

Guillermo Alva, head of the Gisis Pet Care business unit, assures that they have met the expectations set at the beginning of the year for these months regarding the reach of the brand in terms of supporting the diversification of sales points and customers. different channels and territories. In terms of sales volume, in the case of Pet Star, they have had a favorable development in recent months with above-category growth. Likewise, in the super-premium segment with Arion Titanium, they achieved a positive performance in the main markets of the country in the specialized channel. “Although there is a trend towards the consumption of cheaper products in the mass channels, the demand of consumers who choose quality continues to grow compared to last year in our portfolio Pet Star and Arion Titanium, which focus on meeting nutritional expectations. in line with the product segments.

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Other brands already established in the market also grew. One of them is Pro Pac, a super premium brand. Carlos Coral, head of marketing for Propac Ecuador, explains that being wheat, soy and corn free products with holistic characteristics has allowed them to continue growing in a more specialized market niche. “Our reach continues to grow. And we stay at a rate of 20% per year.”

This growth is a product of the current trend of being more concerned about what pets are consuming, which has allowed them to continue to grow sales and gain new customers. In addition, he reveals that Pro Pac is in the process of launching its new image. “The same Pro Pac as always with a fresher and more dynamic image. We are a 100% made and packaged product in the USA, this and its excellent quality have made the brand very attractive to new customers.”

The growth of the local market has opened up international destinations

The growth of the sector has also enabled the internationalization of national brands, such as Mimma, an Ecuadorian brand that was born in 2008 as a venture and which in 2021 began its internationalization by exporting fifteen products to Peru and this year to Colombia , indicates Tatiana Palacios, coordinator of Marca Mmm.

Remember that the brand was started in response to Diego Coronel’s own needs with his dog. He asked to give it to him snack Make it so healthy that even he can eat it. “Since he had no answers in the market, he decided to launch and develop the line snacks for pets based on nutrition and happiness. Mimma started with the product Crookies, which are functional cookies. A few years later, Carnitas was born, a snack which revolutionized the category snacks in the country,” mentions Palacios.

The growth of the segment is also highlighted: when Mimma started marketing its products, the category snacks He was very small. There were certain brands that mostly offered cookies. Over the years, accompanied by a change in mentality among pet owners, the category has grown by double digits over the past five years and is expected to continue.

Furthermore, “the new trend of the younger generations to not have children and to replace this need with a pet, whether it is a dog or a cat, has led to a significant increase in the number of animals. And that, along with humanization, makes the demand for snacksaccessories, clothing, etc., are growing strongly,” analyzes the spokesperson of the brand that currently has 31 products on the Ecuadorian market, with the projection of entering two new markets in 2024.

Specialized offer in supermarkets

The growth of the industry includes a large diversification of pet products, so much so that supermarket chains have begun to open their own specialty areas. With the opening of Mall del Norte, in Guayaquil, at the beginning of September, Megamaxi also inaugurated its first pet store, Maxi Pet, which offers premium, super-premium and barff, advice from a specialist veterinarian for the dosage of food and over-the-counter medicines according to the breed, weight, age and parking of pets.

The Maxi Pets store and the Vitality department are the new products of Megamaxi in Mall del Norte

Rubén Salazar, corporate manager of Corporación Favorita, assures that the new concept, which focuses on comprehensive service for pets, is due to the growth of demand in that category, which is the fastest growing in this supermarket chain. “We carried out a study and found that the categories corresponding to the world of pets have had a continuous growth of 12% per year on average over the last fifteen years, until today it is the number one category in the supermarket by percentage of participation.” This will be compared to other categories such as cookies, snacks, noodles, pasta, among others.

Currently, the chain has 45 food suppliers with 78 brands and more than 180 suppliers of general goods and cleaning products with 238 brands, with a total portfolio of more than 2,900 items, Salazar points out. And the growth does not stop, the director reveals that by 2024 they plan to open more than 30 stores in order to be able to meet the demand of customers and pets, which is growing by double digits every year.