The only privately held, family owned pet food cannery in the United States

Our Story

Evanger’s Dog and Cat Food Company was originally established in 1935 by Dr. Fred Evanger, a physician and breeder of champion Great Danes. Because Great Danes grow so rapidly as puppies, Dr. Evanger knew how important nutrition was to the proper development and health of his champion dogs. What he wanted was not commercially available at the time, so he set out to create his own dog food using the highest quality proteins and fresh fruits and vegetables grown on his land. Dr. Evanger built a cannery on his family farm in Wheeling, IL. Today, it remains the only family-owned, privately held pet food cannery in the United States.

In 2002, Evanger’s Dog Food Company was purchased by Holly Sher. Very much run as a family-owned business, several of the Sher children are involved in the pet food manufacturing business.

Evangers Family Portrait

Immediately seeking to further improve the quality and selection of U.S.A. made dog and cat food products available to consumers, Evanger’s added a revolutionary new pet food manufacturing process called “Hand Packing” in 2003 (linked to Hand Packed page) to create a new premium line. Hand Packed dinners are made from whole pieces of meat, literally packed by hand, and steam-cooked in individual cans to retain maximum nutrition and taste.

Evanger’s also teamed up with Farkam Foods, a food buyer for many of Chicago’s finest restaurants and hotels, to further ensure the peak quality of each U.S.A. grown ingredient selected for Evanger’s pet food recipes. 90% of Evanger’s ingredients are grown within 50 miles of its manufacturing facility, and are used within 24 hours of collection. 100% of Evanger’s ingredients are sourced from the U.S.A.

In 2013, Evanger’s introduced Ferret Food (link to products/ferret food) to its line of premium pet foods, recognizing a need in the small animal industry for a premium, meat-based food for ferrets that more closely resembles its diet in the wild. Each recipe contains 99% protein from farm-fresh meats and eggs in a moist, nutrient-dense formula that supports optimal ferret health and longevity.

In 2014, Evanger’s Dog and Cat Food Company moved to a new state of the art plant in Markham, IL. Seeking LEED certification, the building uses skylights as its primary source of lighting, in addition to many other industry-leading green practices.

Evanger’s pet foods are currently distributed throughout the United States, Canada, and many other countries.