ACANA Grasslands (ACANA Regionals Grasslands)

ACANA Grasslands — origin, manufacturing and ownership

ACANA Grasslands (also sold as ACANA Regionals Grasslands) is a dry dog kibble recipe from ACANA focused on high inclusions of regional animal ingredients (grass-fed lamb, duck, eggs, trout/quail depending on region). The ACANA brand was created by Champion Petfoods, a Canadian premium pet-food maker founded in Alberta in the mid-1980s.

Champion Petfoods historically manufactures ACANA products in its own, company-operated kitchens. For ACANA Regionals formulas such as Grasslands, production for the U.S. market is prepared in Champion’s purpose-built DogStar® kitchens in Auburn, Kentucky, while other ACANA products and export batches are produced in Champion’s Canadian kitchens (NorthStar/Acheson/Morinville and Oakville facilities). As a result, this product is primarily manufactured in the United States for North American U.S. distribution, but ACANA is also produced in Canada for other markets.

In terms of ownership, Champion Petfoods (the original company behind ACANA and ORIJEN) was acquired by Mars, Incorporated and now operates as an independent business unit within Mars Petcare. Mars is a U.S.-headquartered global food and petcare company. The acquisition transferred ultimate ownership of ACANA to Mars while Champion continues to manage the brand and its proprietary kitchens and regional sourcing approach.

This means: ACANA is a Canadian-born brand made in Champion’s owned kitchens (U.S. and Canada) and, since the acquisition, is ultimately owned by Mars, Incorporated (Mars Petcare).