Ukraine’s pet industry continued to expand in 2025, even as businesses faced ongoing disruptions caused by the war with Russia.
Major domestic players reported growth across both sales and market share, supported by:
- Rising demand for premium products
- Expansion into export markets
- Continued investment in production capacity
👉 The market environment remains difficult.
But the industry is showing a clear ability to adapt through:
- Operational flexibility
- Export diversification
- Higher-value product positioning
Premium Products Continue to Drive Growth
Kharkiv-based pet food producer Suziria reported that its group market share exceeded 16% in 2025.
At the same time:
- Sales from its manufacturing and distribution division increased 15% YoY
According to the company, much of this growth came from the premium segment.
Its brand Savory:
- Entered the Top 5 super-premium pet food brands in Ukraine
- Expanded across 4,000 retail outlets in 7 countries
- Achieved 35% overall growth in 2025
👉 This highlights a broader trend:
Even under economic and geopolitical pressure, consumers are still willing to pay for perceived quality and higher-value pet products.
Functional and Non-Food Categories Also Accelerated
Beyond food, growth was also strong in pet accessories and equipment.
Suziria reported:
- 32% growth in pet equipment categories
- Roughly double the overall market growth rate
Key categories included:
- Bowls
- Litter boxes
- Scoops
- Paw cleaners
- Related pet accessories
👉 Functional and routine-use products continue gaining importance inside the pet category.
Kormotech Expands Across Both Standard and Premium Segments
Lviv-based producer Kormotech also reported positive results.
In 2025:
- Annual turnover increased approximately 7.5% YoY
- Reaching €161.3 million ($174.2M)
- Up from €150 million ($162M) in 2024
Volume growth was recorded across multiple price tiers:
- Standard pet food:
- +12.4%
- Super-premium products:
- +10%
According to Global Marketing Officer Igor Blystiv:
👉 Consumers are balancing two priorities simultaneously:
- Accessible everyday nutrition
- Higher-quality, value-added products
Clean Label and Natural Positioning Gain Momentum
Another major trend in Ukraine’s pet market:
👉 Growing demand for more natural and transparent formulations.
Kormotech noted strong demand for:
- Thermally processed food
- Cleaner ingredient positioning
- Simpler formulations
Consumers are increasingly paying attention to:
- Ingredient transparency
- Packaging communication
- Product naturalness
👉 This mirrors broader global pet industry trends toward:
- Humanization
- Functional nutrition
- Premiumization
Export Expansion Becomes a Strategic Priority
Despite difficult operating conditions, Ukrainian pet companies continued expanding internationally.
Suziria
In 2025, the company entered the:
- United Arab Emirates (UAE)
Adding to existing export markets including:
- Ireland
- Poland
- Czech Republic
- Slovakia
- Hungary
- Croatia
- Romania
- Moldova
- Georgia
- Latvia
- Japan
- Bulgaria
Although exports currently account for:
- Less than 2% of total business volume
The company aims to achieve:
👉 At least 1% market share in each priority export country.
Poland and Moldova currently generate the strongest export revenue.
In Poland:
- Savory launched its own D2C website in 2025
Kormotech
Kormotech maintained a relatively balanced sales structure:
- Domestic sales:
- Approximately 70% of turnover
- Export sales:
- Approximately 30%
The company stated that this balance remained largely unchanged from 2024.
👉 Export growth is increasingly becoming a long-term strategic focus rather than a short-term opportunity.
Operational Challenges Remain Severe
Despite growth, the operating environment remains extremely difficult.
Suziria faced:
- Energy shortages
- Blackouts
- Labor shortages
- Supply chain disruptions
- Infrastructure damage
Its retail chain, MasterZoo, which opened:
- 16 new stores in 2025
also faced:
- Temperature instability
- Additional generator costs
- Backup power expenses
Workforce and Energy Pressure Continue
For Kormotech:
👉 Workforce availability became one of the most serious operational issues.
The company noted that:
- Mobilization
- Legislative changes
have significantly impacted labor recruitment and workforce planning.
Energy infrastructure attacks also created major production pressure.
From:
- Mid-November to mid-February
Wet food production operated continuously on:
- Diesel generators
to maintain uninterrupted supply.
👉 This reflects how operational resilience is becoming a core competitive advantage in the region.
2026 Outlook: Investment and International Expansion Continue
Despite ongoing uncertainty, both companies continue investing aggressively.
Suziria
The company is focused on:
- Stabilizing and optimizing its new wet pet food facility in Kalush
Facility details:
- Investment:
- €10 million ($10.8M)
- Size:
- 2,400 square meters
- Capacity:
- Up to 5,000 tons annually
- Planned capacity doubling by end of 2026
The facility will support:
- Half&Half
- Newly launched CATCH!
with:
- 6 SKUs each
Kormotech
The company plans to continue:
- Central and Eastern European expansion
- International business development
including:
- Kormotech America
By 2029, the company aims to:
- Increase international sales share
- Expand premium and super-premium product offerings
Kormotech will also launch:
- A second wet pet food production facility in Lithuania
while continuing investment in:
- Dry pet food production capacity
Final Insight
Ukraine’s pet industry is operating under extraordinary pressure.
Yet despite:
- War-related disruption
- Energy instability
- Labor shortages
- Supply chain challenges
major pet companies are still:
- Expanding exports
- Investing in new facilities
- Moving further into premium segments
👉 The market is proving that long-term growth in pet care can continue even under highly unstable economic conditions.
And increasingly:
👉 Premiumization, operational flexibility, and export capability are becoming the key drivers of competitiveness.
Source: GlobalPETS