Page 38 - PET worldwide issue 04/2021

Suppliers

“We know absorbent”

A 58-year-old Japanese company that specialises in absorbent

pet products is eyeing Southeast Asia after breaking into the US
market.

Kocho is planning to introduce its Apart from its home market, market – the fastest-growing cat-
Neo Loo Life range of pet potty where Neo Sheet is a top-selling egory in Southeast Asia. “Our
products to the region. The range brand for dog pads, the com- strengths are stable supply and
is composed of eight items, of pany’s products are also found high quality,” he explained.
which two – the Neo Sheet dog in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Russia, After having started in sani-
pad, its flagship product, and Neo Saudi Arabia, Bolivia and Can- tary pad manufacturing, the
ada. In 2019, Kocho entered the company also ventured into
US market, where it sells four-lay- making nappies. It now sells
ered carbon-filled pet potty pads adult nappies along with its pet
in two sizes – medium (8”x23”) products. “We have the know-
and large (23”x36”). how and technologies of absor-
“We are currently looking bent. Based on the technologies,
for partners, including distribu- Neo Sheet was born. Now it is
tors, pet speciality stores and one of the most popular potty
so forth. I heard the Southeast pads in Japan among dog own-
Asian pet market is the fastest- ers. Our Neo Sheet could thus be
growing region in the world,” our draw in Southeast Asia,” he
Kunihiko Watanabe, executive said. He also remarks that while
managing director of Kocho told dog pads may not yet be seen
Pet worldwide on the sidelines as must-haves by pet owners in
of PreConnect 2 by Pet Fair SEA, the region, they could take off in
The headquarters of kocho in Japan are situated just at the foot of Mount Fuji.
a virtual networking event and the future. “We are not sure that
conference organised by VNU these are considered necessities
Suna, its cat litter – will Asia Pacific. for now. But in the future, they
be introduced in South- could potentially be in demand
east Asia. Kocho was High potential by dog owners who have a dog
established in 1963 as Pet Fair SEA estimates Southeast at home and regard it as one of
a manufacturer of sani- Asia’s pet market at 1.412 bn dol- the family,” he said.
tary pads. It launched its lars as of last year, with growth On its website, Kocho states
line of cat litter in 1996 projected to have been at 6.8 per that pet toilets and litter boxes
and started making and cent annually from 2014 to 2020. are often placed in the most com-
selling absorbent dog Non-food pet products were seen monly used spaces in homes,
pads in 2005. to have expanded by 7.1 per cent which should be kept as clean
annually between 2015 and 2020, and hygienic as possible. Its pet
outpacing the overall compound toilet products aim to make these
annual growth rate of the sector. environments cleaner, more en-
The Neo Sheet dog
pad is kocho’s flagship Watanabe said Kocho’s products joyable, and more relaxing for
product. will be positioned in the premium everyone, it says. n

38 PET worldwide 4|2021

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