Operational firepower

Prague-based Vafo Group has acquired Pets Deli, the Berlin premium pet food brand originally founded in 2014, and is strengthening its position in Germany. Pets Deli sells wet and dry food, raw feeding products, snacks and supplements for dogs and cats, mainly direct to pet owners through its own digital platform, but also at retail chains such as Fressnapf or Kölle Zoo. The brand will continue to operate under its own name, with the focus on accelerating D2C growth, improving customer retention, widening the range and drawing on the group’s manufacturing and sourcing capacity.

‘Pets Deli fits our group really well: a strong brand, close to consumers, with a clear digital mindset and significant growth potential,’ said Pavel Bouška, chairman of the board of Vafo Group, who called Germany one of the most important pet food markets in Europe.

Managing director and COO Pascal Haenle expects the deal to bring ‘operational firepower’ the company could not have built on its own. ‘Access to world-class manufacturing, R&D and procurement means better products for our customers, faster – and at a stronger margin – without ever compromising on the quality they trust us for.’

Vafo puts its own turnover at more than €700 million and employs over 1,500 people in nine European countries; its brands include Brit and Carnilove, sold in more than 90 markets. Pets Deli states a turnover of more than €40 m. The group’s most recent deals were Austria’s PetCo Group and Finnish manufacturer Dagsmark Petfood in 2024, and UK brand Pooch & Mutt in 2023.

The change of ownership also brings a change at the top. Jan Billenkamp is stepping down as CEO, as he wrote on LinkedIn; after a handover phase, founder Tania Moser will take the role again, a return she announced there as well. Moser handed the position to Billenkamp in May 2025, remaining a shareholder and moving to the advisory board. Billenkamp had been part of the management team since 2020, three years of that as co-CEO.

For Pets Deli, the deal closes a turbulent decade. In 2017 the widely watched start-up filed for insolvency. It was restructured and refinanced under Berlin investment holding Econa, with Moser and her team rebuilding the business around direct sales. In 2020 the company entered bricks-and-mortar pet specialist retail and opened its first flagship store in Berlin.