Forthglade Foods brings honest, healthy pet food to dog owners across the UK
Any dog parent will be familiar with the relentless search for the best possible food for their four-legged friend. Offering healthy, natural dog food and treats, Forthglade Foods (Forthglade) has more than 50 years of expertise in pet nutrition and strives to provide nourishing and nutritious meals. From natural wet food to dry food, treats, and supplements, Forthglade’s products are made with natural ingredients, with added vitamins and minerals, and no fillers, artificial flavorings, or preservatives.
David Cox, CEO, and Mike Jolley, Operations Director, speak to Food Chain about the company’s ongoing evolution. “Forthglade was founded in 1971 by Basil Palmer and Doug Wilkins, and it was Basil’s dog who sparked the idea behind the business, as Basil recognized the lack of good-quality pet food,” David opens. “It wasn’t until Chris Brooking and Gerard Lovell bought the business in 2012 that Forthglade began its journey to becoming a national brand, with us selling direct to consumers for the first time in 2015.
“Fast-forward to 2026,” he shares, “and that same pioneering spirit remains at the heart of Forthglade’s success. We are still proudly based in Devon, now operating from a purpose-built, state-of-the-art factory on the edge of Dartmoor. Our focus remains exactly where it started: crafting natural, nutritious recipes using high-quality ingredients, with dogs’ health and wellbeing at the heart of everything we do.”
Quality, transparency, and natural ingredients
Turning to Forthglade’s product portfolio, David continues: “Our range includes multi-award winning natural wet food, and we’ve expanded into natural dry food, treats and wellbeing products such as supplements. We’ve also developed wet recipes tailored for specific stages in a dog’s life with a puppy and senior range, alongside our core adult range. The full Forthglade portfolio is crafted to provide balanced nutrition whilst maintaining our commitment to quality, transparency, and natural ingredients.
“Beyond our range, we’re passionate about supporting dog owners to make informed choices about what they feed their pets,” he adds. “This translates to simple recipes and ingredients, clear labelling, honest communication, and ongoing education around canine nutrition. We have a brilliant partnership with media vet Dr James Greenwood, who regularly offers advice and guidance on a range of topics both seasonal and food related. Everything we do is driven by one goal: to make it easier for owners to feed their dogs well, with food they can trust.”
Award-winning range
Given Forthglade’s commitment to natural, honest dog food, it’s no surprise that its grain-free Complete Wet Food range has been crowned ‘Best Wet Food’ at the Your Dog Awards for six consecutive years. “We’re incredibly proud of this recognition, and winning six years in a row highlights our approach to creating recipes that dogs love and owners can trust,” David states. “As we continue to grow, we’re investing in building an incredible, experienced team to drive the brand forward. We’re lucky to have an excellent team of dog-loving food manufacturing specialists, many of whom have a background in the production and distribution of human foods.”
Mike agrees: “Having the whole team under one roof, including the factory, is unusual, and it enables us to take an end-to-end view over the needs of our customers, development of products, and the quality and consistency of what we do. Although we’re still one of the largest employers in the area, we’ve driven significant efficiency through robotics and manufacturing automation. We’re proud to manufacture all our wet food in Devon from our purpose-built factory and take full control of our supply chain, from the procurement of ingredients to manufacturing and distribution.”
Purposeful partnerships
Aside from its tasty dog food offering, Forthglade is also committed to being a sustainable force in the pet food industry, having proudly received B Corp certification in 2025. “We achieved B Corp certification with an overall score of 96.0, and since then, we’ve focused on turning areas for improvement into practical, on-the-ground initiatives across our operations,” Mike states. “Some recent investments, for example, include 2000 solar panels at our site, which are projected to produce around 25 percent of our yearly electricity usage. We’re launching a water remediation project designed to cut our water usage by 28 percent, and we’ve set an ambitious target to reduce overall waste by 30 percent.
“As a B Corp, we also believe in doing the very best for our team and community. We engage in purposeful partnerships with other like-minded brands, and we complement the natural dinners for dogs we donate to UK rescue centers (over £92,000 worth last year) with team volunteering days, along with fundraising events and raising awareness of the great work being done by our charity partners. All of this is part of our approach to keeping our pawprint as light as possible while being transparent about our ongoing B Corp commitments.”
Tailored benefits
It’s clear that Forthglade puts pets and their owners at the heart of all products, creating high-quality, natural recipes that meet genuine needs. “As dogs grow and change, their needs change too, and it’s important their diet evolves with them,” David states. “We understand the specific nutritional and functional needs of each life stage, from puppies through to senior dogs, and tailor recipes to support dogs throughout their lives. Our senior recipes offer a lighter meal, for instance, with 15 percent less fat than our adult recipes, along with added chondroitin and glucosamine to support healthy joints and bones. Our puppy recipes, on the other hand, offer similar tailored benefits for young dogs and are created to give them the best start in life.
“Our commitment to using natural ingredients and being transparent about what goes into our food is central to everything we do,” he adds. “We can diversify our product range and invest in our manufacturing capabilities, but ultimately, we’ve always put dogs’ health and wellbeing first. Owners are increasingly researching the best diets for their dog, and this resonates strongly with Forthglade, as natural nutritious meals are what we have been creating for over 50 years.”
Organic growth
Forthglade’s mission to produce award-winning, high-quality dog food will inevitably remain front and center as the business continues to grow. “We have an exciting pipeline of new product launches later this year across supplements, treats, and wet food, all designed to deliver simple, natural, and targeted nutrition,” David says when we ask about what’s next for Forthglade. “This includes expanding our vet-approved supplements, launching new natural, protein-rich treats, and adding to our award-winning wet food range.
“Further afield, we’re focused on growing beyond our current footprint so that more dog owners get to know our brand,” David concludes. “Currently, around 27 percent of dog owners have heard of Forthglade, and although this is a strong base, there are plenty of opportunities to push our journey forward. We’ve doubled the size of the business over the last five years, and we’ve already invested significantly in the brand and in our factory to position ourselves to grow from here without needing to expand our capabilities. Our ambition now is to double again over the next five years by executing our plan, reaching more customers, and growing in a way that stays true to the brand’s founding values.”