KARACHI: Waggles, among Pakistan’s first locally manufactured pet food brands, is planning to begin exports to Saudi Arabia and the Middle East by the end of this year, its owner said last week, after his company secured distribution partnerships in Riyadh and Jeddah last year.
Pakistan’s pet food market has largely relied on imported food, which has faced high taxes as a non-essential item, although last year the import duty was reduced by five percentage points to 40 percent.
Pakistan imported around 2,894,770 kilograms of pet food in 2024, valued at $3,015,810, from the US, the UK, China, Germany, France, Thailand, the UAE and other nations, according to the World Bank trade statistics.
Rafae Dossal, Waggles founder and chief executive officer, says they started production of dog and cat food in 2020 to reduce reliance on imports and now his firm is planning to go global through its partnership with Petzone, which provides pet supplies, services and solutions in Riyadh and Jeddah.
“So, we completed our [ISO and Hasib] certifications back in 2023 and ever since then, our export efforts have been amplifying, and we’ve been able to communicate with distributors based out of Saudi Arabia specifically, and have sent out consignments to Jeddah,” Dossal said.
“We aim to take this product to the Middle Eastern market, mainly to the south area and the Middle Eastern region, which includes countries like the United Arab Emirates, Jordan as well as some parts of Africa.”
Saudi Arabia has seen a sharp rise in pet ownership in recent years, according to Dossal. Waggles was able to coordinate operations with Saudi distributors after sending them sample shipments in Nov. 2025.
“So, this export operation is to start early next year or hopefully toward the end of this year,” he said.
UAE, JORDAN EXPORT PLANS
The Waggles dog food is priced at Rs725 ($2.50) per 400-gram can and comes in six stock-keeping units, while the cat food, sold under the brands “Purrs” and “Purrfect,” ranges from Rs725 to Rs825 ($2.50 to $2.90).
Their dog food comes in six flavors: chicken and sweet potato, beef and carrot, chicken in gravy, beef in gravy, chicken and carrot gourmet stew, and beef and pumpkin gourmet stew. Cat food is available in four flavors, including chicken in broth, chicken shreds, chicken and carrot recipe in broth, and chicken and pumpkin recipe in broth.
The ingredients include chicken gizzard, chicken liver, beef, tripe, carrots, pumpkin, potatoes, sweet potatoes, kelp, taurine and turmeric.
“We source components locally and we manufacture this product in a very high, in a very sterile environment,” Dossal told Arab News.
Waggles competes with imported brands such as Pedigree dog food and Whiskas cat food by Mars International, according to Dossal. Waggles products are now available in over 10,700 retail stores across Pakistan, accounting for “40 percent” of such products in the market.
“Our annual revenue turnaround as of 2025 was Rs250 million ($893,000), it has been on a consistent rise since our launch in 2020,” he said.
While Dossal’s company has managed to secure distribution partnerships in Saudi Arabia, he says there are some challenges in taking their products to the Middle East due to the ongoing United States-Israel-Iran war, which has increased shipping costs and disturbed logistical alignments.
Asked about the expected revenue from exports once the regional issue is settled, Dossal said it was a bit difficult to estimate but entering a new market “certainly provides a boost.”
“I would say we are looking [at] at least Rs125 million ($446,500),” he added.
