The story behind Vobra Special Petfoods

Vobra Special Petfoods: innovative since 1932

The story of Vobra Special Petfoods begins with Piet van Krieken. In 1932, he registered with the Chamber of Commerce. ‘payroll grinder’, it says in a dashing handwriting on the documents. Farmers from the neighbourhood brought him their harvest, and van Krieken processed it. He developed into a specialist in, among other things, mixtures with soya cake and linseed cake for cattle. The farmers kept coming back, because they knew: at van Krieken you get quality for a fair price.

Feed adapted to dietary and energy needs

In the 1950s, nutritional science developed at a rapid pace. Van Krieken was one of the first to apply these new scientific insights to the production of animal feed. He could now adjust the composition of the feed to the dietary and energy needs of the animals! With this, he laid the foundation for the Vobra philosophy.

Also for dogs

In 1963, son Gerard van Krieken took over the company and called it Vobra: Voederfabriek Oost-Brabant. He invested in a press, so that from then on the compound feeds could be sold in chunks. But Gerard wanted to expand the business further. A love of pets ran in the family; one of Gerard’s sisters bred dogs. Wouldn’t it be nice to apply all the knowledge about nutrition and energy requirements to the production of dog food?

Top quality

Via-via, Gerard had contacts in the dog sport. He ended up at a police dog club. The members made high demands on the dogs and their food. They were looking for affordable top quality feed that would meet the energy requirements of the hard-working police dogs. Van Krieken developed and supplied Vobra since 1984, and the police dogs flourished.

Improved recipe

In the years that followed, Gerard continued to improve the recipe. Based on quality, continuity and a good price, Vobra grew rapidly. If he had learned one thing from his father, it was this: the animal and its energy needs always come first. Gerard worked with Utrecht University to guarantee the quality and effectiveness of the products. Slowly, Vobra became the company for animal lovers.

Broader choice

From compressed chunks it went to crispy chunks from the extruder. The choice of raw materials became wider: dried meat, vegetables and other ingredients made it possible to develop an even more balanced product. Later it was even possible to work with pure, fresh meat. In addition to dog food, cat food was now also produced. Strict quality control was now carried out in-house, in the company’s own laboratory.

Optimal product

This is how Vobra was developed down to the last detail. Today, Vobra Special Petfoods is the premier producer of dog and cat kibble.  For 90 years we have been known as a reliable partner offering quality at a fair price. With four of our own brands and a thriving private label division, we serve customers in 35 countries on 4 continents. With strict quality controls, an extensive R&D department and international cooperation in feed and innovation, we are your partner for dog and cat food.