Nasta acquires FirstMate Pet Foods

Nasta Pet Food, the French-based, family-owned international group specializing in ultra-premium pet nutrition, has announced the acquisition of FirstMate Pet Foods, an independent premium pet food manufacturer based in British Columbia, Canada.

With this transaction, and the integration of FirstMate and its parent company Taplow Ventures Ltd, the Group significantly strengthens its commercial and manufacturing platform in North America, according to a press statement.

As of February 2026, the combined entity will represent more than 250 employees and consolidated industrial capacities of 54,000 tons of dry pet food and 4,000 tons of wet pet food per year. The Group will be serving more than 400,000 pet families annually and expects to generate approximately €200 million in consolidated revenue in 2026.

As part of this acquisition, Nasta Pet Food has refinanced its activities through a senior unitranche facility of €120 million provided by H.I.G. WhiteHorse. This refinancing will support and accelerate the development strategy of the combined group. For the transaction, Nasta Pet Food was advised by Norton Rose Fulbright and Bennett Jones LLP. FirstMate Pet Foods was advised by Capital West Partners and Osler Hoskin Harcourt LLP. The refinancing arrangement involved advice from Alantra, Hogan Lovells, Linklaters, Blake Cassels & Graydon LLP, Oderis, and Indefi.

FirstMate Pet Foods will continue to operate autonomously, with full continuity of its management, teams, industrial sites, integrated manufacturing model, and commercial and retail partnerships.

According to company information, the transaction illustrates Nasta Pet Food’s strategy of supporting entrepreneur-founded brands with strong fundamentals, by backing their development through targeted investments in innovation, industrial excellence, research and development, and marketing capabilities, while preserving their identity and autonomy.

‛I would like to pay tribute to Michael Florian, the visionary founder of FirstMate, who has built a leading player and assembled a strong team that we are delighted to welcome into the Nasta community,’ comments Geoffroy Lefebvre, Chairman and Group CEO of Nasta Pet Food.