What "we never outsource production" means for your pet's food

A lot of pet food on the shelf is not made by the brand on the bag. Contract manufacturing is common, and it can be done well. But it puts a second company between the brand and the food.

Corey Nutrition has taken the opposite path since 1982: one family, one facility, every batch. Founded by fisheries biologist Lee Corey and now led by his daughter, Dr. Emily Corey, the company makes all of its food in its own kitchen in Fredericton.

What owning the kitchen lets us do

• Control the process end to end. CoreyTEC™ Fine Grind, vacuum Infusion and the Freshness Valve are processes, not just ingredients. They only work if you run the line yourself.
• Cook in smaller batches. Smaller batches mean more frequent quality checks, and more consistency in shape, size, colour and durability from bag to bag.
• Hold until it's proven. Batches are tested in-house for water activity, sampled for third-party microbial testing, and held until they're released. More on that in how every batch earns its way out.
• Answer to regulators directly. Corey's facility is audited and approved by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Why consistency matters to owners

Dogs and cats notice change. A formula that drifts between production runs can mean loose stools, weight swings or a pet that suddenly turns its nose up. For working-dog owners feeding Inukshuk, consistency is the whole point: a musher planning a season needs the 32/32 in March to perform like the 32/32 in November.