How we helped

MPM produces high-quality, natural pet foods for discerning cat and dog owners, with leading brands such as Applaws, Encore and Reveal. As consumer interest in premium pet food has grown, so has MPM, and its brands are now sold in 49 markets worldwide with offices in the UK, Australia, China and the USA.

Internationalisation:

  • We worked closely with CEO, Julian Bambridge and COO, James Bracewell, to deliver an impressive period of organic growth including significant international expansion in North America and Asia Pacific, with international sales forming 65% of total sales by exit.
  • This included helping the business to launch in China, which was a significant opportunity for MPM due to rising disposable income, strong demand for Western premium brands and growth in the humanisation of pets. However, it was a complex and competitive landscape, and ECI helped MPM to navigate complexities around IP and differing regulations.

Sales & marketing:

  • MPM augmented the marketing team during our investment, and ECI supported the business to create a new brand for the North American mass grocery channel (Reveal) and refresh the UK grocery brand (Encore). MPM’s success in establishing a meaningful presence in the competitive US pet specialty and mass grocery markets was key to the business’ strong growth.

People & culture:

  • During our investment we supported MPM to move towards B Corp Certification which it successfully achieved in 2021, with a customer base that places great importance on its sustainability.

Following a period of strong growth, ECI exited MPM to 3i for a return of 4.4x in 2021.