Wellness Pet Company renaming harmonizes pet nutrition pioneer's mission of bringing nature, innovation, and science to premium pet nutrition with the Company's flagship Wellness^® brand

TEWKSBURY, Mass., Dec. 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- WellPet, LLC, the largest North America based independent branded premium natural pet food company, backed by Clearlake Capital Group L.P. (together with its affiliates, "Clearlake"), today announced it is changing its name to the Wellness Pet Company ("Wellness Pet," or the "Company"). With 100 years of premium pet food and treats heritage, Wellness Pet will build on its mission of fulfilling a shared life of wellbeing between pets and a new generation of pet parents. This expanded vision for Wellness Pet Company comes at a pivotal time as consumer interest in the premium natural pet food category has been fueled by step-change increase in U.S. pet adoption and pet parents seeking the benefits of premium natural nutrition first-hand.

"We felt this was the ideal time to re-introduce Wellness Pet, a company focused squarely on serving the next generation of pet parents at the beginning of their life-long pet parenting journey. Our relationships with pets are about more than just companionship. Pets provide a mutually beneficial emotional connection that makes each of our lives better every day, and proper, science-driven natural nutrition is one of the foundational elements needed to keep them healthy, happy, and well," said Reed Howlett, CEO of Wellness Pet Company. "Pet parents and their pets are at the center of all that we do, and we believe that natural, premium nutrition focused on proven health outcomes is the foundation of creating this mutual wellbeing. We're here to make a difference for even more pets and their families."

The premium natural category is the largest and fastest growing segment in the pet food industry, and Wellness Pet Company believes this is driven primarily by the desires of Millennial and Gen-Z pet parents, who are expected to make up 58% of American pet parents by 2025¹. This next generation of pet parents looks for credible brands they can trust and has a greater interest in feeding premium treats, toppers, and supplements that make them confident their pets' needs are being met. Wellness Pet will actively pursue its mission to create natural nutrition that provides physical, mental, and emotional benefits that pets can feel, and pet parents can see, like a healthy skin and coat, optimal energy, digestive health, healthy eyes, teeth and gums, and immunity.

"We see so much potential for Wellness Pet Company as a purpose-driven organization that continues to provide pet parents around the world with the quality products they deserve," said José E. Feliciano, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, and Arta Tabaee, Managing Director, of Clearlake. "We look forward to supporting the Company's strategic growth with the help of our Operations, People and Strategy playbook, O.P.S.^®, while supporting initiatives important to pet parents, such as a continued commitment to natural nutrition, a science-driven approach, and sustainability."

Wellness Pet Company carries on the legacy of best-in-class product innovation and outcomes-based nutrition led by its flagship Wellness^® brand and includes well-known dental treat brand WHIMZEES^® by Wellness^® and all-natural dog treat brand Old Mother Hubbard^® by Wellness^®, in addition to premium food brands Holistic Select^®, Sojos^®, and Eagle Pack^®, all backed by its world-class operational and manufacturing capabilities rooted in quality and safety.

Wellbeing amongst pets and parents also means wellbeing for their communities and the environment they enjoy together. That's why Wellness Pet Company will remain committed to the global fight against climate change with more recyclable packaging, low-waste eCommerce shipping, and greater attention to manufacturing emissions while continuing to operate with the highest food safety and compliance standards. Equally important will be creating and cultivating diversity, inclusivity, and belonging in the workplace.

The new company name will be effective in early 2022. Wellness Pet Company will continue to be headquartered in Tewksbury, MA. The Company also recently opened a new Boston, MA office, the Consumer Connect Center (C3), a center of excellence that will focus on developing best-in-class nutrition solutions for the next generation of pet parents.

About Wellness Pet Company:
Wellness Pet Company, the largest North America based independent branded premium natural pet food company, is home to pet food and treats brands Wellness^®, WHIMZEES^® by Wellness^®, Old Mother Hubbard^® by Wellness^®, Holistic Select^®, Sojos^®, and Eagle Pack^®. Building on a 100-year legacy, Wellness Pet Company has a singular mission of fulfilling a shared life of wellbeing between pets and pet parents with premium natural nutrition that provides proven health benefits that pets feel, and pet parents can see, because when pets are well, pet parents are, too. Wellness Pet produces proprietary and exclusive formulations at its three state-of-the-art facilities in Indiana, Minnesota, and the Netherlands, supported by a supply chain spanning over 1.2 million distribution points across the globe. More information is available at the Company's website.

About Clearlake:
Founded in 2006, Clearlake Capital Group, L.P. is a leading investment firm operating integrated businesses across private equity, credit, and other related strategies. With a sector-focused approach, the firm seeks to partner with experienced management teams by providing patient, long-term capital to dynamic businesses that can benefit from Clearlake's operational improvement approach, O.P.S.^® The firm's core target sectors are technology, industrials, and consumer. Clearlake currently has over $55 billion assets under management, and its senior investment principals have led or co-led over 300 investments. The firm has offices in Santa Monica and Dallas. More information is available at www.clearlake.com and on Twitter @ClearlakeCap.

¹ 2019, Packaged Facts Pet Owner Survey