Carnivore Meat Company Names New CEO
Carnivore Meat Company has named Heather Govea the company’s new chief executive officer.
Most recently the chief strategy officer at Alphia, Inc., Govea brings with her decades of food experience to Carnivore, which provides premium freeze-dried and frozen raw pet foods. She has held leadership roles at Natural Balance, Del Monte/Big Heart Pet Brands, and Nulo.
"Joining Carnivore as CEO in this stage of the company's trajectory is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," said Govea. "I'm eager to continue accelerating growth with this team and leverage the strong momentum behind Vital Essentials following the recent brand re-launch.”
The company is expanding capacity with the move into a new, state-of-the-art 235,000 square foot manufacturing facility and headquarters later this year.
Founded in Green Bay, Wis., Carnivore is among the largest freeze-dried raw pet food producers in North America, manufacturing unique freeze-dried and frozen raw pet food and treats. The company's highly differentiated products are marketed under the flagship Vital Essentials brand and distributed to more than 7,200 retailers in the U.S. and Canada, online via Chewy and Amazon, and in 14 international markets. Carnivore is also a trusted partner to several co-manufacturing and private label customers.
The company is owned by Arbor Investments, a specialized private equity firm focused exclusively on acquiring companies in food, beverage, and related industries. Arbor announced the acquisition in December 2021.
"We knew we needed a CEO with deep experience and a passion for the pet industry, together with the ambition and playbook to help us continue growing this business," said Arbor Partner Chris Tuffin. "Heather brings the perfect skillset, having demonstrated success scaling several pet brands and organizations in her career along with the category insights and industry relationships to build strategic partnerships with retailers."
