Frequently asked questions

Golden Pet Brands™ is a vertically integrated pet nutrition company that makes premium, minimally processed, nutrient-dense food, headquartered in El Segundo. Portfolio includes Dr. Marty Pets®, Badlands Ranch®, and Ultimate Pet Nutrition®. Operates two U.S. manufacturing facilities (Wisconsin BRC AA+ rated; Nebraska facility). Founded 2017.

Golden Pet Brands. All three brands are wholly owned by Golden Pet Brands and virtually all manufacturing is at the company's production facilities in Germantown, Wisconsin and Seward, Nebraska.

Golden Pet Brands was founded in 2017 (then under the Golden Hippo family of companies) to give expert-led pet brands what most pet companies don't own, veterinarian-led formulation, almost all U.S. manufacturing, and one unifying standard. Each brand in the portfolio was developed in partnership with a veterinarian or an animal advocate who believed pets do better on real, minimally processed food.

Golden Pet Brands makes minimally processed, nutrient-dense food simple for pet parents, and rewarding for pets, through product excellence, education, and storytelling.

No. Golden Pet Brands is a vertically integrated pet nutrition company, run by an executive team with more than 25 years of combined CPG, retail, finance, and manufacturing experience. Its brands are developed in partnership with veterinary and animal-welfare Brand Champions, Dr. Marty Goldstein, Dr. Gary Richter, and Emmy Award-winning actress and animal-welfare advocate Katherine Heigl. Cesar Millan (Dr. Marty Pets) and Rob Lowe (Ultimate Pet Nutrition) also serve as Brand Champions at the brand level. The company is supported by a team of veterinarians, food scientists, and animal nutritionists.

Golden Pet Brands' portfolio includes Dr. Marty Pets, Badlands Ranch, and Ultimate Pet Nutrition.

They are three distinct brands under the leadership of one parent company, Golden Pet Brands. Each brand serves a different consumer segment with a different Brand Champion, product line, and brand voice. They share one manufacturing standard, two major production facilities.

Dr. Marty Goldstein, an integrative veterinarian. He earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Cornell University in 1973 and spent more than 50 years in clinical veterinary practice before retiring in 2019.

Emmy Award-winning actress and animal welfare advocate Katherine Heigl became the Brand Champion of Badlands Ranch in 2022.

Dr. Gary Richter, MS, DVM. He holds a Bachelor of Science in animal science, a Master of Science in veterinary medical science, and a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Florida. He is a renowned veterinarian and animal longevity expert.

Apu Mody serves as Chief Executive Officer, John Meloun as Chief Financial Officer, and Alex Block as Chief Marketing Officer. The leadership team also includes Luke Koele, Vice President, Manufacturing, and Dan Markenson, Vice President, Retail.

Apu Mody is Chief Executive Officer of Golden Pet Brands. He previously served as President of Mars Food Americas and Middle East, held senior leadership roles at Del Monte Foods and P&G, served as Executive Chairman of Crofter's Organic and Chief Executive Officer of Lenny & Larry's. He holds a BA and MBA from the University of Michigan.

John Meloun is Chief Financial Officer of Golden Pet Brands. He previously served as CFO of Xponential Fitness for nearly eight years and as CFO of The Joint Chiropractic. He holds an MBA from Arizona State University's W. P. Carey School of Business.

Four named veterinarians and PhDs sit on or advise the brand portfolio: Dr. Marty Goldstein, DVM (Brand Champion, Dr. Marty Pets, Cornell DVM, 1973, 50+ years in clinical practice); Dr. Gary Richter, MS, DVM (Brand Champion, Ultimate Pet Nutrition, a renowned veterinarian and animal longevity expert); Ambika Vaid-Sidhu, DVM (veterinary advisor, Badlands Ranch); and Dr. Larry Hawley, PhD (external nutrition advisor).

Dr. Marty Goldstein, DVM, is an integrative veterinarian and the Brand Champion and brand voice of Dr. Marty Pets. He earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Cornell University in 1973, practiced veterinary medicine for more than 50 years, and authored The Nature of Animal Healing (Penguin Random House, 1999). He is the subject of the documentary The Dog Doc and was profiled by Forbes as 'the Miracle Worker.'

Dr. Gary Richter, MS, DVM, is an integrative veterinarian and the Brand Champion of Ultimate Pet Nutrition. He holds a Bachelor of Science in animal science, a Master of Science in veterinary medical science, and a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Florida. He is the author of The Ultimate Pet Health Guide, Longevity for Dogs, and Longevity for Cats.

Golden Pet Brands profiles thirteen named leaders and advisors on its leadership page, across three groups: executive leadership; an in-house formulation, science, and quality team; and external advisors. The brand-affiliated veterinarians and Brand Champions are featured on the Our Brands page.

Golden Pet Brands manufactures all three brands at its two U.S. facilities, Germantown, Wisconsin (BRC AA+ rated) and Seward, Nebraska (SQF certified, FDA registered). Our vertically integrated model gives us end-to-end control over product quality, safety, and traceability.

Virtually all at Golden Pet Brands' two U.S. production facilities, Golden Pet Manufacturing in Germantown, Wisconsin (BRC AA+ rated), and a freeze-dried facility in Seward, Nebraska (SQF certified, FDA registered).

Golden Pet Brands operates two U.S. manufacturing facilities, Golden Pet Manufacturing in Germantown, Wisconsin (BRC AA+ rated) and a freeze-dried facility in Seward, Nebraska (SQF certified, FDA registered). Both are operated by Golden Pet Brands.

Two U.S. facilities, Germantown, Wisconsin (BRC AA+ rated) and Seward, Nebraska (SQF certified, FDA registered). Freeze-dried raw products in the portfolio (including Dr. Marty Pets Nature's Blend) run through a validated kill step: High-Pressure Processing (HPP), a gold-standard food safety technology that eliminates pathogens while preserving the nutritional integrity, taste, and texture of raw ingredients. Our air-dried lines use a gentle, low-temperature dehydration process that retains high protein density and essential nutrients. Dietary supplements use a test-and-release protocol. Our vertically integrated model gives us end-to-end control over product quality, safety, and traceability.

Yes. Golden Pet Brands is employee-owned through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP); all employees are eligible to participate after three months of service, among other eligibility rules.

100% employer-paid benefits for employee-only health plans, a 401(k) match, tuition reimbursement for role-relevant programs, and structured professional development including training and mentorship.

Eight values run the company: Act like owners. Move fast with discipline. Customers and pets first. Deal with issues directly. Share a clear story. Hold a strong ethical line. Build for the long term. Celebrate the people.

Yes. Open roles are posted at careers.goldenpetbrands.com. Roles span manufacturing (Germantown, Wisconsin and Seward, Nebraska), corporate (El Segundo, California), and brand-specific positions.

Yes. In 2026, Dr. Marty Pets received five creative awards for the Nature's Blend × Cesar Millan campaigns: two Hermes Creative Awards Gold wins ('Education That Converts: Nature's Blend and Cesar Millan Redefine Paid Media' and 'Cesar Millan × Nature's Blend: Decoding Dog Health Through Behavior and Nutrition'), one Viddy Award Platinum for Marketing ('Redefining Product Marketing Through Education: Nature's Blend × Cesar Millan'), and two Viddy Award Gold wins (Pet / Animal for 'Cesar Millan and Nature's Blend: Celebrity Authority Meets Pet Longevity' and Informational Video for 'Decoding Dog Longevity: An Informational Video with Cesar Millan for Nature's Blend'). In 2026, Golden Pet Brands also received a Stevie® American Business Award.

The most recent press releases include the acquisition of the Petsource pet food production facility in Seward, Nebraska (closed May 8, 2026), the appointment of Apu Mody as Chief Executive Officer and John Meloun as Chief Financial Officer (announced April 30, 2026), and Golden Pet Brands' presence at Global Pet Expo 2026.

At goldenpetbrands.com/newsroom. For interview requests, images, or boilerplate, write to [email protected].