Wednesday, November 25, 2009

The History of Iams Dogfood

The Iams brand-name dates back to the early 1940s. Back then pets were mainly fed on home-made foods or even table scraps. Paul Iams, an emerging animal nutritionist, decided to do something about the food pets were eating. After he graduated from Ohio State University in 1938, he worked in a host of large and well-recognized pet food companies, including his dad’s feed business in Dayton, Ohio. In 1946 he made his own feed company near a mill in Dayton. In 1950, he created the world’s very first animal-based protein. He put it into a dry dog food and humbly called it after himself. (Iams 999.) In 1969, Paul Iams formulated a new dogfood and named it Eukanuba.

In 1973 (during the Arabian oil embargo) the costs for meat and bone meal tripled! However, sales prices were standing still by a nationwide wage and price control issued by President Richard Nixon. Paul Iams did not change the product's formula in any way and maintained its "high-quality standards" in the hopes the price freeze mandate would be over and done with quickly. The decision was very costly and the company nearly went under, but Iams was quoted as saying, “… it was the best thing that could have happened” as it solidified Iams’ reputation for providing premium nutrition at an affordable price.

In 1975, after surviving the price freeze, the company was reeling. Paul Iams felt he’d taken the company as far as it could go and decided to close the company rather than grow the business further. Clay Mathile, who joined Iams in 1970, decided to save the pet food company and purchased half of it in 1975. By 1982, Iams pulled out and he became the sole owner and president.

After growing the company from $100,000 in 1970 to $900 million in 1999, Mathile sold it to Procter & Gamble (P&G) in September 1999. In July 2006, P&G re-organized the Pet Health & Nutrition division into P&G Pet Care (consisting of the Iams and Eukanuba brands).

Today the company is still thriving. You can find Iams food in almost any pet supply store, and online sites as well. Iams dogfood coupons are becoming a staple to many households. You'd be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn't know about Iams.

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