.svg){kind=small}
By 
The pet food industry is massive — and it’s growing every year.
Last year, in the U.S. alone, the pet food market was worth over $43 billion, and it’s expected to be higher this year.
Selling the right pet food brands can help you boost sales in your store, bring in new customers, and make sure every square foot of shelf space works hard to support your bottom line. But what are the right pet food brands?
Choosing which brands to stock from thousands of available options can be overwhelming. Make the wrong choices, and you're stuck with dead inventory eating into your profits. Choose wisely, and you'll build a loyal customer base that keeps coming back for their pets' favorite foods.
This guide reveals 10 proven pet food brands that consistently drive customer loyalty and boost profits for independent pet retailers. We'll cover premium, mid-range, and budget-friendly options that perform well across different markets and customer segments.
Let’s get started.
The Smart Way To Choose Pet Food Brands for Your Store
Before we dive into brands, let’s include a caveat about how to choose the right pet food brands for your store.
The brands we’ll discuss are some of the most popular brands nationwide, but your specific market or region may have different preferences and needs. Your local market demographics play a huge role in determining which brands fly off your shelves and which gather dust. Customer preferences shift dramatically based on region, income level, and the type of pet owner walking through your door.
Related Read: 10 Pet Spending Statistics You Need To Know
If you want to make sure you’re stocking the right pet food brands for your store, you need to understand which brands perform best and which aren’t selling. That's where modern point of sale (POS) systems become game-changers for smart pet retailers. A top-rated POS like eTailPet tracks real-time sales data that takes the guesswork out of inventory decisions.
With proper sales monitoring, you can identify:
- Top-selling products and brands: Know exactly which items are moving fast and which are sitting stagnant, so you can adjust your floor space and ordering accordingly.
- Seasonal sales patterns: Identify when certain brands peak and dip throughout the year to help you prepare for busy seasons and avoid overstocking during slow periods
- Customer purchasing behavior: Track which products customers buy together, so you can create strategic product placement and cross-selling opportunities
- Inventory turnover rates: See how quickly different brands move through your store to ensure you're not tying up cash in slow-moving inventory
- Profit margins by brand: Understand which brands deliver the best return on investment, not just the highest sales volume
When you stock brands that don't resonate with your customer base, you waste shelf space on products that won’t sell and risk losing customers who can’t find their preferred brands in your store. You also miss out on opportunities with emerging premium brands that could attract new, high-value customers to your store.
10 Popular Pet Food Brands Your Customers Will Love
With this context in mind, let's explore the 10 brands you may want to explore as a starting point for the pet food selection in your store.
1. Blue Buffalo
Blue Buffalo is a mainstream premium brand known for natural ingredients and broad customer appeal.
Price point: $45–65 for 24–30 lb bags
Key selling points:
- Natural ingredients with their signature LifeSource Bits antioxidant blend
- Strong brand recognition and customer loyalty across all demographics
- Multiple life stages and dietary options from puppy to senior formulas
Customer appeal: Health-conscious pet parents who want premium nutrition without ultra-premium pricing
Blue Buffalo products tend to have a high turnover rate and excellent profit margins — you can't go wrong with this trusted favorite that practically sells itself.
Related Read: How To Sell Pet Food Online: 8 Best Practices
2. Hill's Science Diet
Hill's Science Diet is the leading veterinary-recommended pet food brand with science-based nutrition formulas.
Price point: $50–80 for 25–30 lb bags
Key selling points:
- Clinically proven nutrition backed by veterinary research
- Prescription diet gateway brand that builds trust with pet parents
- Strong vet partnership opportunities for cross-referrals
Customer appeal: Pet parents following veterinary recommendations and those seeking science-based nutrition
Hill’s Science Diet is one of the most popular brands with veterinarians. When vets recommend it, customers buy it without hesitation.
3. Purina Pro Plan
Purina Pro Plan is a research-driven brand favored by professional breeders, trainers, and sporting dog enthusiasts.
Price point: $40–60 for 30–35 lb bags
Key selling points:
- Used by champions and professionals in dog shows and competitions
- Advanced nutrition formulas with targeted benefits for specific needs
- Strong marketing support from Purina drives customer awareness
Customer appeal: Active dog owners, performance enthusiasts, and customers who trust professional endorsements
Purina has long been a consistent seller across all demographics of dogs and cats. It’s one of the giants in the industry for a reason, and can benefit you when it has a home on your shelves.
Related Read: Pet Shop Products List: 10 Essential Items To Sell
4. Wellness Core
Wellness Core is a premium grain-free brand that focuses on high-protein, natural nutrition for health-conscious pet parents.
Price point: $55–75 for 22–26 lb bags
Key selling points:
- High protein, grain-free formulas that mirror ancestral diets
- Natural ingredients focus appealing to clean-eating trends
- A strong e-commerce presence that supports your online sales
Customer appeal: Health-conscious millennials and Gen X pet parents who prioritize natural nutrition
Wellness brand pet food isn’t as popular a brand as Purina or Blue Buffalo, but the higher margins compensate for lower volume. Customers buying Wellness products are willing to pay for quality.
5. Taste of the Wild
Taste of the Wild offers grain-free nutrition with novel proteins at an accessible premium price point.
Price point: $45–55 for 28–30 lb bags
Key selling points:
- Novel protein sources like bison, venison, and salmon
- Grain-free nutrition without premium pricing
- Eye-catching packaging with wild imagery appeals to pet parents
Customer appeal: Budget-conscious customers wanting premium nutrition for their pets
Taste of the Wild is another premium product like Wellness. It sits right in the middle with high-nutrition pet food at a mid-tier price point, attracting price-sensitive premium buyers looking for the best value.
Related Read: Supplier Selection Criteria for Pet Stores: 11-Step Guide
6. Orijen
Orijen is the ultra-premium leader in biologically appropriate pet food with fresh, regional ingredients and high meat content.
Price point: $90–130 for 22.5 lb bags
Key selling points:
- Fresh, regional ingredients sourced from trusted local suppliers
- High meat content with 85% quality animal ingredients
- Premium positioning establishes your store as a destination for discerning pet parents
Customer appeal: Ultra-premium segment willing to pay top dollar for the absolute best nutrition
Orijen is one of the priciest options on this list. You’ll likely sell Orijen products in smaller amounts than some of the powerhouse brands on this list, but they have incredibly high profit margins and will attract affluent customers who might purchase additional premium products.
7. Merrick Classic
Merrick Classic is a mid-premium brand that uses real meat as the first ingredient. It offers both grain-inclusive and grain-free options.
Price point: $70–90 for 25–30 lb bags
Key selling points:
- Real deboned meat is the first ingredient in every formula
- Both grain-inclusive and grain-free options meet diverse dietary preferences
- Made in U.S.A. appeals to customers seeking domestic production
Customer appeal: Mainstream customers seeking a quality upgrade from basic brands
Merrick offers a premium pet food option that’s a steady seller across demographics — the perfect middle ground option for premium (but not quite top-shelf premium) customers.
Related Read: Customer Experience in Retail: 6 Pet Store Best Practices
8. Diamond Naturals
Diamond Naturals is a family-owned value brand that provides quality nutrition with probiotics and antioxidants at competitive prices.
Price point: $35–45 for 30–40 lb bags
Key selling points:
- Family-owned company reputation builds trust with traditional customers
- Added probiotics and antioxidants provide health benefits at value pricing
- Larger bag sizes offer better value for multi-pet families
Customer appeal: Value-conscious customers with multiple pets who need quality nutrition on a budget
Diamond is a mid-tier pet food brand that offers a higher-quality product at a lower price point. This combination of elements makes Diamond a good entry-level premium option that drives foot traffic.
9. Fromm Family Foods
Fromm Family Foods is a family-owned boutique brand known for artisanal quality and small-batch production methods.
Price point: $55–70 for 26–30 lb bags
Key selling points:
- Four-star family recipes with artisanal quality and attention to detail
- Small-batch production ensures freshness and quality control
- Loyal customer base that actively promotes the brand to other pet parents
Customer appeal: Customers seeking artisanal, family-owned brands with heritage and tradition
Fromm Family Foods is a small-batch brand with die-hard fans among pet parents. Stocking this brand gives you the opportunity to get word-of-mouth referrals from the brand website, which will push traffic to your store.
Related Read: Pet Spending Trends: Where Pet Owners Spend the Most on Their Pets
10. Victor
Victor is a performance-focused brand designed specifically for working dogs and highly active breeds.
Price point: $50–65 for 30–40 lb bags
Key selling points:
- Multi-meat proteins to provide the energy active dogs need
- High calorie density perfect for working and sporting dogs
- Performance-focused formulas designed for specific activity levels
Customer appeal: Working dog owners, sporting dog enthusiasts, and owners of highly active breeds
Victor brand dog food is specifically designed for high-performance dog needs like working breeds and sporting dogs. This brand has a niche market, but with extremely high customer loyalty — these customers can become regulars who trust your expertise.
Beyond Stocking Popular Pet Food Brands: Managing Your Store
Successful pet food brand selection is all about combining market knowledge with real data. The right mix of premium, mid-tier, and value brands helps you serve all customer segments while maximizing your profit potential.
When you combine the market data we’ve shared in this post with real information from your POS system, you can reliably stock the brands and products your customers want — and stay competitive.
Start with these proven brands as your foundation, then use your POS data to fine-tune your selection based on what's actually moving in your store. Every location is different, and what works in one market might not work in another.
Ready to optimize your pet food brand selection with data-driven insights? Schedule a demo of eTailPet today to see how top-performing pet stores use technology to boost profits and customer satisfaction.