The former Doane Products Company began manufacturing feed for livestock in 1954. Four years later, Doane made its first pet food product - a private label meal-based dog food for its feed customers.

In 1969 Doane expanded its service to include private label customers in the grocery trade. The following year, mixed category vendors such as Wal*Mart enlisted Doane to make its store brand dog food. This partnership is one of the most enduring and successful vendor relationships in the industry and has grown to be one of the largest brands in the world. Doane eventually expanded into specialty pet products such as biscuits and a variety of treats.

In 1998 Missouri-based Doane Products Company engineered a strategic merger with Brentwood, Tennessee-based Windy Hill Pet Food - an outgrowth of Martha White Foods and Deep Run Packing Company. The merger created Doane Pet Care (DPC) as the largest manufacturer of store brand pet care products.

Since it's merger, DPC has since purchased European based Arovit and Larkshall, expanding its global manufacturing arms to Denmark and Austria. Doane Pet Care has since formed Doane International Products, which now holds a presence in the UK, Latin America, and East Asia.

Since these acquisitions, DPC works to streamline operations and further expand its global and domestic presence. Doane Pet Care has grown from the size of about 400 million in 1999 to just under 1 billion in annual sales today.

Today, DPC celebrates new product opportunities and manufacturing capacity to better support its clients and strongly grow the business. DPC has emerged as one of the industry's leaders in manufacturing technology, nutrition, and supply chain management.

Time-Line at a Glance:

1954 Founded as Doane Products Company to make dried molasses food for agriculture.

1959 Began production of expanded meal-based dog food for the private label feed industry.

1969 Expanded into production for the private label grocery segment.

1974 Initiated expansion of dry pet food production facilities.

1989 Entered private label biscuit market.

1997 Opened state-of-the-art soft dog treat facility.

1998 Merged with Windy Hill Pet Food Company to become Doane Pet Care Company, strengthening the Company's presence in dry pet food, biscuits and cat treats.

1999 Began to expand presence in European, South American and Asian markets.

2000  Moved into new corporate headquarters in Brentwood, TN. European presence is solidified with purchase of Arovit, which has premium wet and dry facilities in Denmark and Austria .

2000 Expansion in Europe through acquisition of Larkshall (U.K.) and further expansion into East Asia and Latin America through joint venture with Doane International Pet Products.

2001 Began simplifying business through project focus, streamlining operations and divestiture of excess capacity.

2005 New ownership by Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan (OTPP), which opens up new capital opportunities for expansion of DPC globally.