Muenster Milling, the US pet-food business, has hired Jim Holdrieth as its new president and CEO.

Holdreith was most recently the CEO of US-based ingredients supplier Florida Food Products.

Backed by private-equity firm Kainos Capital, Muenster Milling is a manufacturer of freeze-dried and extruded pet food.

The company is a contract manufacturer and has private-label contracts with retailers. It also sells products under its own Muenster brand. The branded products are sold in specialist pet stores and via e-commerce.

In a statement, Mitch and Chad Felderhoff, fourth-generation family owners of Muenster Milling, said: "We could not be happier to welcome Jim Holdrieth into the Muenster family. We are confident that Jim will build on Muenster’s commitment to excellence in pet food manufacturing, including food safety, innovation, and exceeding customer expectations."

Kainos Capital is a former owner of Florida Food Products. It sold the business to another private-equity house, Midocean Partners, in 2018.

“We have a long history with Jim, who oversaw transformational growth at our investment in Florida Food Products,” Kainos Capital partner Kevin Elliott insisted. “He is the right leader for Muenster at this time as we dramatically scale the company’s manufacturing and new product development capabilities.”

Holdreith's career also includes time at ingredients group Balchem, which supplies, among its products, "animal nutrition" lines.

The new Muenster Milling chief described the company as a "terrific pet food business with attractive growth potential".

Pet owners, he said, are "moving toward ‘better for my pet’ meals and treats".

He added: "My background in food ingredient manufacturing gives me an appreciation for how freeze-dried proteins can play a strategic role for customers given its versatility and nutritional benefits."