Nutro is owned by Mars (the United States), which acquired the brand on 21 May 2007.[1][2] Nutro was founded in 1926 in the United States and was independent until 2007.
This ownership is reported in official statements but has not yet been matched to a regulatory filing.
Evidence: Mars, Incorporated — our brands. Last checked .
Nutro makes natural pet food sold through specialty retailers, founded in California in 1926. Mars acquired it in 2007, and it sits above Pedigree and below the veterinary lines in the company's pet food hierarchy. Mars is the largest pet food company in the world, and its brands are deliberately positioned at separate price tiers.
The USPTO record for the Nutro mark lists MARS, INCORPORATED as the owner of record (serial number 77428535). That name matches the owner named above.[3]
Controlling ownership as of . Brands grouped under the entity that owns them; large groups are collapsed.
Open the full Mars ownership tree →
See the full Mars brand portfolio (42) →
Mars controls 42 brands on Brandtree, 11 of them in pet & animal care.
The 36 brands in dog food on Brandtree belong to 17 owners. The largest is VAFO, with 8; Mars has 6.
| Brand | Owner | Owner based in |
|---|---|---|
| Brit | VAFO | 🇨🇿 Czech Republic |
| Club 4 Paws | Kormotech | 🇺🇦 Ukraine |
| Bobtail | RCL FOODS | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| American Journey | Chewy | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Sojos | WellPet | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Master Dog | Carozzi | 🇨🇱 Chile |
| Hill's Pet Nutrition | Colgate-Palmolive | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Freshpet | Freshpet | 🇺🇸 United States |
Mars is a family-owned company headquartered in McLean, Virginia, United States, founded in 1911. Brandtree records 42 brands under its control.
Mars is one of the largest privately held companies in the world, owned by the Mars family since Frank Mars began making sweets in Tacoma in 1911. It publishes no financial statements. Its four segments are snacking, pet nutrition, food and Mars Wrigley, and it agreed to acquire Kellanova in 2024.
Brandtree records a controlling owner for 2,549 brands that began in the United States. 478 of them (19%) are now controlled by a company headquartered in another country; Nutro is not one of them.
Mars acquired Nutro Products, a Californian natural pet food maker founded in 1926 and sold through specialty retailers rather than supermarkets. It sits above Pedigree and below the veterinary lines in the company's pet food hierarchy. The price was not disclosed.
The parent company of Nutro is Mars, a family-owned company headquartered in the United States.
Yes. Nutro originated in the United States in 1926 and its owner, Mars, is also headquartered in the United States.
Mars completed its acquisition of Nutro on 21 May 2007, after announcing the deal on 21 May 2007. The price was not disclosed.
Nutro was an independent company from its founding in 1926 until Mars acquired it in 2007.
Yes. As of 27 September 2026, Nutro is still owned by Mars. The ownership record was last checked against primary sources on that date.
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.
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