Dental care from the Netherlands

When visiting the production facilities of the Dutch company Paragon Pet Products in Veendam, the experience is not like being in a plant for dog treats, but rather in one of the modern fabrication plants of the automotive industry. "For the manufacture of our Whimzees dental care chew treats we use high-tech machines that have been specially converted to meet our production requirements," explains Lion Houkes, global director of marketing at Paragon. The modern production plant is in operation 24 hours a day, seven days a week. "The entire plant can be controlled and monitored by just two to three controllers," says Houkes. The chew treats manufactured under the Whimzees brand are a product that was only introduced into Europe in 2014. They are made from the natural ingredients potato starch, glycerin, cellulose powder, lecithin, malt extract and yeast, which are brought together and blended by the modern machinery at high temperatures. Finally the mixture is pressed to produce treats  in the shape of toothbrushes, alligators and also bones. When asked about the advantages of the product, Houkes emphasises the natural ingredients, which are all sourced in western Europe. "We take care to ensure that we only use natural food-grade ingredients in production. The vegetarian additives with dietary fibres aid digestion and polishing of the teeth. Moreover, the treats contain neither gluten nor sugar and only very little fat."

Paragon employs 35 staff in the Netherlands and is certified as complying with the BRC Global Standard for Food Safety. Before it commenced production of its own treats, it manufactured treats in line with the food safety standard primarily for private label suppliers. "At some stage, however, we came to the conclusion that we would do better to use our know-how and unique ingredients for our own production line." The company launched its Whimzees treats in 2013, not in Europe but in the USA. "The American market is still the most important sales market for us today." Paragon secured two major customers for its new products there in the pet store chains Petco and PetSmart. It then took the step into Europe in 2014 and is currently in the process of building up a marketing network there. Paragon intends to distribute the treats via partners in the various countries and to make the Whimzees brand known at big retailer and consumer trade shows.