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Royal Canin () is a division of the American group Mars Inc., and a French manufacturer and global supplier of cat and dog food. It conducts research on the specific nutritional needs of dogs and cats.
The company was established by French veterinary surgeon Jean Cathary, after he successfully treated a number of skin and coat conditions in dogs by feeding them a cereal-based diet he prepared in his garage. He realized that nutrition was an important part of pets' health. After importing an Food extrusion from the United States, a process first used in the pet food industry in 1956, the company was the first to manufacture dry pet food in France. Aimed primarily at breeders, production steadily increased and distribution expanded across the European market. Royal Canin was sold to the Guyomarc'h Group in 1972, and underwent a further period of expansion, especially in the area of research and development, before being purchased by the Paribas Affaires Industrielles (PAI) in 1990. The company was floated on the French stock exchange but delisted later after it was sold to Mars, Incorporated in 2002.
The diet successfully alleviated the health issues affecting dogs, so in 1968, Cathary registered the food with the trademark "Royal Canin". He closed his veterinary practice to concentrate on manufacturing and distributing the feed. An Food extrusion was imported from the U.S. and Royal Canin became the first manufacturer of dry pet food in France and the first European company to use an extruder. The target market was primarily breeders and German Shepherd clubs; television advertising was used to promote the product.
Production steadily increased and in 1970, the company was incorporated as "Royal Canin S. A."; a larger factory was opened in Aimargues and began distribution throughout Europe. Forty staff were employed in the annual production of five thousand five hundred tons of feed. A subsidiary, Royal Canin Iberica, was established in Spain. In March 1972, Dr Cathary sold the company to the Guyomarc'h Group, a much larger, family-run animal feed business founded by Jean Guyomarc’h in 1954, which specialized in livestock feed.
The new ownership allowed the company to continue expanding, especially in the area of research and development. A second factory was inaugurated in 1975 in Cambrai, France.
The period under the ownership of Guyomarc'h saw a marked expansion of the company, particularly in the area of research and development. A dedicated research center was opened in Saint-Nolff, Brittany, during 1973. Over the decade leading up to 1982, additional subsidiaries were established in other European countries. These included Italy, Sweden, Belgium, Spain, Germany and Denmark. Another factory was built in northern France to service sales in the countries of the north of Europe. From 1982 onwards, Royal Canin diversified its portfolio to products such as canned food and bird seed and saw its production quadruple to 200,000 tons in ten years.
The Guyomarc'h group of companies was purchased by the Paribas Affaires Industrielles (PAI) in 1990. Royal Canin recorded a loss in 1993; the following year the Guyomarc'h group was divided into four separate businesses, one of which remained as Royal Canin. In 1994, a new CEO was appointed and focused on three pillars: dry food, health through nutrition and dog-handling expertise. The group wished to sell Royal Canin but its chairman managed to persuade it to list it on the Paris stock exchange instead, which took place in 1997. Forty–three percent of the company was floated on the stock market and it raised the company's valuation to four and a half billion French franc. The additional revenue raised provided the funding to buy Crown Pet Foods in 1999 and the James Wellbeloved brand in 2000.
In 1999, Guyomarc'h site was recognized and Royal Canin's activities became independent from the other activities of this site.
In 2002, Mars acquired 40% of Royal Canin's stakes. The economic daily Les Échos describes this acquisition as the marriage of a French SME, a leader in Europe, and a powerful global distribution network.
In March 2004, Royal Canin acquired the US and Canadian veterinary-grade food brands IVD, Medi–Cal and Techni–Cal from Del Monte Foods for $82.5 million.
The company was one of the many brands affected by the 2007 pet food recalls.
As of 30 April 2012, the FDA had reported no subsequent Class I, II, or III recalls by Royal Canin. The same year, Royal Canin established a logistics platform in Verdun, France.
In 2018, Royal Canin celebrated its 50th anniversary.
In 2021, Mars announced that it would invest 46 million euros in France, among which 22 million euros dedicated to its French and Global headquarters in Aimargues, France, where the historic plant, a pilot plant and an R&D center are located.
Royal Canin’s guiding principle is “health through nutrition”.
The products are adapted for different digestive capacity and divergent growth periods.
Royal Canin food products are divided in 3 main categories :
In 2023, Royal Canin expanded its line of hypoallergenic food and launches Dental Care products, kibbles with a specific texture that help clean teeth.
Pill Assist is a treat designed to help owners to give medication to their cats by masking tablets and capsules.
Henri Lagarde was chairman of the company during the 1990s and drove the implementation of three core policies. Firstly, the physiology and biology of pets should be studied to increase the company's knowledge base. Secondly, all products had to address specific needs; this was further endorsed by the Research and Development section having mandatory instructions that "no veterinarian or university should be able to refute any of Royal Canin's nutritional arguments". Finally, animals and their nutritional needs were to be approached with "knowledge and respect" rather than being humanized.
In 2013, Four Paws, an international animal welfare group, accused Royal Canin of sponsoring events that included illegal bear-baiting in Ukraine. The company confirmed the allegations and promised to take action to put an end to its sponsorship of such events.
In 2004, production facilities at Dmitrov, near Moscow, Russia, opened. Royal Canin committed twelve million euros to the construction of the factory and anticipated annual production of twenty–two thousand tons a year.
The Polish government announced construction was to start in February 2006 on a fifty million euro factory in Niepołomice, Poland, which would provide employment for more than 150 people. At the time of the announcement, it was described as "the ninth and most modern of the company's facilities".
In 2008, the company invested seventy–three million dollars in the construction of a factory at Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
A factory at North Sioux City, South Dakota, USA, was originally purchased by Mars in 2007 and worked under the Mars Petcare brand. This was then rebranded to Royal Canin in 2011, where it manufactures wet pet food.
Royal Canin's twelfth production facility was fully built at the end of 2009 and is located in Shanghai, China.
A new plant was opened in 2018 in South Korea in Gimje, North Jeolla Province.
In 2021, the company announced it would invest $185 million in its facility in North Sioux City in South Dakota. On the same year Royal Canin announced an investment of $200 million to expand its manufacturing facility in Lebanon, Tennessee. The expansion began in 2019.
In December 2023, Royal Canin inaugurated the first edition of its international photography competition, Royal Canin Photography Award (RCPA). The competition is an attempt to celebrate and raise awareness on the uniqueness of cats and dogs and their diversity through arts.
In 2017, the brand was mentioned in a report by France 5, "What Kind of Kibble for Our Pets?" and in the book "Ce Poison Nommé Croquette" by Jérémy Anso, criticizing the quality of products from Hill's Pet Nutrition and Royal Canin, among others.
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