A rendition of the Evanger’s plant
as painted by Holly Sher.
BY JEN NY KVAMME, DVM
S ince its beginning in 1935,
Evanger’s Dog & Cat Food
Co. Inc. (
www.evangers-dogfood.com) has grown
froma a primarily private label
manufacturer to one now producing some of the most innovative
products on the market.
Founder Fred Evanger
raised Great Danes and decided to build a canning factory in close proximity to his
kennels in Wheeling, Illinois,
USA. Over the past 70 years, the company has turned over twice and is now
owned and operated by husband-and-wife team Holly (president) and Joel
Sher (vice president). The Shers purchased the company in 2002.
Joel was previously an independent
supplier of meat and vegetable products
to Evanger’s, and when the chance to
purchase the plant came about, he and
his wife took on the challenge. Joel,
having supplied Evanger’s with raw
meat for over 15 years, knew the company produced a quality product. Since
Holly and Joel took over, Evanger’s has
experienced 300% growth and now
produces about 50 products.
I nnovation
leads to
growth for
Evanger’s
Husband-and-wife team
develop natural, organic and
kosher products
Private label history
Evanger’s started supplying the private label market in the early 1960s,
and that had become the bulk of the
company’s business over the years. The
Shers have been determined to grow the
Evanger’s company brand into a significant player in the petfood market. Thus,
they have developed many new and innovative products for the Evanger’s line.
Today, the Evanger’s brand accounts for
approximately 50% of the company’s
overall business, but not due to a decline
in private label sales.
According to Joel, “Consistent,
top-quality products and excellent customer service are just two of our strong
points. Being a small manufacturing
company enables us to work closely
with our accounts to ensure their satis-
