Dan Waters has joined “I and love and you” as CEO, the Boulder, Colorado-based pet food company announced Aug. 6. He succeeds Michael Meyer, who has been appointed chairman of the board.
Waters will lead the “I and love and you” brand as well as the company’s recently acquired cat food brand, Made by Nacho, as the business continues to grow and expand its omnichannel footprint. The company said it recently passed $100 million in annual retail sales and describes itself as the No. 1 independent pet food brand in the natural channel.
Waters joins the company from natural chocolate brand Hu, where he served as CEO. He previously led Enjoy Life Foods as CEO and held chief marketing officer roles at Bel Brands in the U.S. and Europe.
“The ‘I and love and you’ team saw the clean label pet food shift coming years before the rest of the category did,” Waters said. “The health-conscious pet owner is as careful about what’s in their pet’s bowl as they are about their own plate. They want real, high-quality ingredients. That’s especially true in cat, where premium options still haven’t caught up to how much pet parents love their cats, a category that already makes up more than half of our combined business. With ‘I and love and you’ and Made by Nacho, we are providing cat parents nationwide the options and variety they’ve been missing.”
Building on Made by Nacho acquisition
Founded in 2010, “I and love and you” sells a portfolio of cat and dog products featuring real meat as the first ingredient, superfoods and grain-free options. The company said its brands reach more than 30,000 combined doors nationwide across natural, grocery, mass, pet specialty and e-commerce channels.
Earlier this year, the company acquired Made by Nacho and named chef and Made by Nacho co-founder Bobby Flay as chief culinary officer. Waters will work alongside Flay and the rest of the team on the culinary direction of the business.
“Dan has spent his career turning brands into category leaders, from scaling Babybel and The Laughing Cow globally at Bel Brands, to growing Enjoy Life into one of the leading names in allergen-free food, to leading Hu’s next stage of growth,” said Cara Hoy, managing director at L Catterton, which holds a majority stake in “I and love and you.” “He knows how to drive growth and profitability without losing what makes a brand beloved. His experience and track record make him the right person to lead this next phase of growth.”
“I and love and you” is a portfolio company of L Catterton, a global consumer-focused investment firm. The company’s products are available at natural, grocery, mass and e-commerce retailers nationwide, including Amazon, where it ranks among the top pet brands in the dog and cat categories.