Dane Creek Capital Corp. Announces its Acquisition of Pets4Life

PetPlate kettle cooked meals are made from fresh meats and vegetables

Merchant bank with pet industry focus invests in Ontario-based manufacturer of frozen raw pet food

MISSISSAUGA, ONTARIO – Feb. 8, 2018. Dane Creek Capital Corp. (‘DCCC’ or the ‘Company’), the pet industry merchant bank, is pleased to announce it has acquired 100% of Pets4Life, a leading manufacturer of gourmet frozen raw pet food for dogs and cats based in St. Thomas, Ontario. The transaction closed on January 31. The purchase price represented approximately 0.6 times 2017 revenue. No other financial details were announced.

Pets4Life raw pet food meals are manufactured out of a single facility and sold mainly through pet specialty retailers in Ontario. All its formulas are certified to meet the Association of American Feed Control Official’s (‘AAFCO’) standards for complete and balanced nutrition for all life stages of dogs and cats. Pets4Life is one of the few Canadian companies that also offers a wholly organic line made with Certified Organic ingredients. Prior to its acquisition, Pets4Life was owned and operated by Glenn and Sherry Forrester since 2010, both of whom will continue in their roles at the company.

“We are pleased to complete our first acquisition of a premium raw pet food company in Ontario,” says Glen Tennison, President & CFO of DCCC. “Pets4Life offers a variety of unique formats that will allow us to expand our footprint within the category while we leverage our increasing expertise to drive revenue growth and increase market share.”

Today’s announcement marks DCCC’s second investment in the frozen raw space and one of several planned investments in 2018. The Company announced its first investment in raw pet food in September 2017 when it acquired 100% of Alberta-based manufacturer Mountain Dog Enterprises Inc. (‘Mountain Dog’), the only raw pet food manufacturer in Canada with HACCP Canada (‘HACCP’) certification. HACCP or ‘Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points’ is a system of food safety and quality control required by federally regulated food manufacturers under the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (‘CFIA’).

In related news, DCCC’s previously announced plans to invest in the Nova Scotia-based raw pet food manufacturer Totally Raw Natural Dog Food Inc. have been canceled and discussions have ended. The Company now plans to build its own Nova Scotia-based facility to manufacture raw and freeze-dried fresh pet food products. Drawing on the success of Mountain Dog as an industry leader in quality manufacturing, the new facility will be equipped with state of the art machinery and operated to CFIA standards with HACCP certification. Completion of the Nova Scotia facility will provide DCCC with manufacturing capacity for raw pet food products in three provinces spanning the Canadian market.

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The Pethealth Story

DCCC Chairman & CEO Mark Warren is the founder and former President & CEO of Pethealth Inc. which he formed in 1998. Under his leadership, Pethealth became the leading aggregator of new pet and pet owner data, the largest provider of cloud-based software to the companion animal industry, one of the largest providers of pet insurance in the US, UK & Canada and the world’s largest provider of companion animal microchip technology.

Pethealth was acquired by Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited (‘Fairfax’) in November, 2014 for all cash consideration of C$100M representing 2.1x twelve months trailing revenue, 19.6x twelve months trailing EBITDA and a 69% premium to the common share price.

So Why us?

We are entrepreneurs ourselves. We understand the challenges you face and have hands on experience turning good ideas into profitable ventures.

We know the pet industry and we’ll lend our strategic insights to the advancement of your business, whether you’re looking to sell or seeking investment.
Our review process is fast. We personally select each investment and work with our small board of directors and investment committee groups to make quick decisions.
Once approved, you’ll have sale proceeds or investment funds in hand in 60-90 days. 
We provide back office management support so you can focus on what matters most, whether that’s moving onto your next venture or growing your business in partnership with us.

Get in Touch

Phone: +1 (905) 291-0103
Fax: +1 (905) 296-1165

Mark Warren

COFOUNDER,
CHAIRMAN & CEO

Glen Tennison

COFOUNDER,
PRESIDENT & CFO