Irish Dog Foods announced on US Independence Day that the company has agreed a trial contract to supply product to Aldi stores in the United States.

Irish Dog Foods was established in 1985 and is owned by Arrow Group, which is controlled by the Queally family.

While the initial size of the contract is quite small - valued at $400,000 (€370,000) - there is precedent in other deals the company has with Aldi for possible significant growth.

It supplied product worth over €7m to Aldi stores in Ireland and £35.5m (€41.9m) to Aldi UK last year.

The company employs 370 people across its facilities in Ireland and the UK, as well as around 300 in recently-acquired subsidiary Afrique in South Africa.

The business currently exports its pet food to more than 40 countries.

History of success

Managing director of Irish Dog Foods Liam Queally said: “We have a long history of success with Aldi and have benefited from their international presence, opening global markets for us and our business.”

Colin Breslin from Aldi, which recently marked 25 years in Ireland, said: “We’re pleased to support Irish Dog Foods with this latest opportunity and we’re sure that their products will prove just as popular with Aldi US customers as they have in Ireland.”

He added that Aldi had invested more than €10bn with Irish suppliers since 1999 and currently works with more than 330 Irish businesses.

Irish Dog Foods does not produce its own accounts, but latest financial data for Arrow Group showed the processor had a turnover of €747m in 2022 and a profit before tax of €13.8m.