Alpo (pet food)
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Pet food |
| Founded | 1936 |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Dog food |
| Owner | Nestlé Purina PetCare |
| Website | www.purina.com/alpo |
Alpo is an American brand of dog food marketed and manufactured by the Nestlé Purina PetCare subsidiary of Nestlé. The brand is offered as a canned or packaged soft food, as well as in dry kibbles.
History
Alpo, an abbreviation of Allen Products, was founded in 1936 by Robert F. Hunsicker in Allentown, Pennsylvania.[1][2]
In 1964, the Allen Products Company was acquired by Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company. In 1980, the Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company was acquired by Grand Metropolitan; and, in 1986, Grand Metropolitan sold the Liggett Group, but retained Alpo Petfoods, Inc. In 1995,[3] Nestlé SA acquired Alpo Petfoods, Inc. from Grand Metropolitan. The acquisition was approved by the F.T.C.[4] In January 2001, Nestlé SA announced the merger of Nestlé Friskies with Ralston Purina to form the Nestlé Purina PetCare Company.[5]
Marketing
For many years, the brand's main television commercial spokesman was Lorne Greene, who created the concept of eating one's own dog food by claiming that Alpo is so good he feeds it to his own dogs.[6] Ed McMahon also had an association with the product on television,[7] and Garfield was a "spokescat" for the brand in the 1990s.[8] Alpo was the sponsor of the debut broadcast of the long-running television news magazine 60 Minutes, on September 24, 1968.
Alpo had an advertisement on the left-center field wall at Connie Mack Stadium, home of the Philadelphia Phillies, from the mid-1950s through the park's closure in 1970.
Alpo is also known for its marketing campaigns that target the owners of "real dogs", making light of consumers who pamper their dogs.[9][10]
References
- ^ "Swing County, USA". The Intercept. October 22, 2020. Retrieved October 10, 2025.
- ^ "ROBERT F. HUNSICKER". The Morning Call. February 9, 2000. Retrieved October 10, 2025.
- ^ "Nestlé pet food a purrfect growth sector". Food Navigator. April 16, 2025. Retrieved October 10, 2025.
- ^ "F.T.C. Clears Merger of Nestle and Alpo". The New York Times. June 8, 1995. Retrieved October 10, 2025.
- ^ Carman, Tim (2009-04-16), "Food History Potpourri: Ralston Purina's D.C. Roots", Washington City Paper, retrieved 2009-10-19
- ^ "Eating Your Own Dog Food". Research Gate. June 2006. Retrieved October 10, 2025.
- ^ "Ed McMahon dies at 86; Johnny Carson's sidekick on 'The Tonight Show' for 30 years". Los Angeles Times. September 16, 2014. Retrieved October 10, 2025.
- ^ Huggins, Kelli. "Gambling on Garfield: The Creation of Alpo Cat Food and Its Brand Identity" (PDF). JMU Libraries. Retrieved October 10, 2025.
- ^ "Alpo Gets to the Meat of the Problem". BrandWeek. 2009-02-27. Archived from the original on 2010-01-17. Retrieved 2010-02-23.
- ^ Brian Quinton (2009-08-20). "Alpo Contest on the Hunt for Just Plain Dogs". Promo Magazine. Archived from the original on 2010-03-11. Retrieved 2010-02-23.