The Czech pet care group VAFO is making another significant move in its push across Europe, this time acquiring a German brand built entirely around direct relationships with pet owners.
VAFO Group has acquired Pets Deli, a Berlin-based pet food brand that operates primarily through a direct-to-consumer model and Amazon. The deal gives VAFO a genuine foothold in Germany’s pet food market, one of Europe’s largest, with the German Pet Trade and Industry Association reporting the country’s pet industry generated close to €7 billion ($8.1 billion) in total sales in 2025 alone.
A Brand Built on Digital-First Nutrition
Led by CEO Tania Moser,, Pets Deli has built its reputation around healthy, tailored nutrition for dogs and cats, offering a comprehensive product range spanning wet food, dry food, raw feeding options, snacks, and specialized supplements. Its D2C approach and close consumer relationships were exactly what caught VAFO’s attention.
“Pets Deli fits our group really well: a strong brand, close to consumers, with a clear digital mindset and significant growth potential,” said Pavel Bouška, Chairman of the Board at VAFO. He described Pets Deli as the “right partner” to help strengthen VAFO’s position within the local German market.
Keeping the Brand Intact, For Now
VAFO has been clear that it wants Pets Deli’s existing identity to remain intact as it works toward accelerating the brand’s growth. Rather than folding the company into its broader operations immediately, the plan is to preserve what already makes Pets Deli successful while gradually layering in additional support.
That gradual approach extends to manufacturing and sourcing as well. Given how broad Pets Deli’s product portfolio already is, VAFO told GlobalPETS it’s too early to define a specific timeline for full integration. Instead, the group’s initial focus will be on identifying where VAFO’s existing products and capabilities can complement and strengthen Pets Deli’s current range, rather than rushing toward an immediate operational overhaul.
A Doubling of Revenue on the Horizon
Pets Deli currently generates approximately €40 million ($46.1 million) in annual revenue. VAFO’s stated ambition is to double that figure, targeting roughly €80 million by 2030 — a goal that hinges heavily on the operational and R&D support the Czech group can now bring to the table.
According to Managing Director and COO Pascal Haenle, that support translates directly into tangible benefits for customers. “VAFO gives us operational firepower we couldn’t have built on our own,” Haenle said, adding that the partnership means “better products,” delivered faster and at a stronger margin, “without ever compromising on the quality they trust us for.”
Eyes on Expansion Beyond Germany
Beyond strengthening Pets Deli’s position domestically, VAFO is also exploring opportunities to expand the brand into other European markets where it sees strong potential — though the company has been careful not to name specific target countries just yet.
“Our priority is to further strengthen the brand and identify the markets where its D2C model has the greatest potential for successful growth,” VAFO told GlobalPETS. That measured, market-by-market approach suggests VAFO intends to prove out Pets Deli’s model in Germany before pushing aggressively into new territory.
Part of a Bigger European Growth Strategy
This acquisition doesn’t exist in isolation — it’s the latest step in VAFO’s broader, long-term expansion across Europe’s pet care sector. In 2025, the group acquired AZAN, one of Poland’s largest pet food distributors, following a nearly three-decade partnership between the two companies. That deal strengthened VAFO’s distribution network across the Czech, Slovak, and Polish markets, effectively laying the groundwork before the group turned its attention toward Western Europe.
VAFO has also been restructuring internally to support this growth trajectory. Earlier in 2026, the company reorganized its operations into three distinct entities — VAFO Praha, VAFO Production, and VAFO Private Labels — a move designed to streamline operations and improve agility as it works toward a broader company-wide revenue target of €1 billion ($1.2 billion) by 2029.
VAFO has confirmed it continues to actively evaluate additional M&A opportunities that align with its long-term strategy, suggesting the Pets Deli deal is unlikely to be its last move in the region.
What This Deal Signals for European Pet Care
The acquisition adds to a broader pattern of consolidation reshaping Europe’s pet care industry, as established manufacturers increasingly look to acquire established D2C brands rather than build direct consumer relationships from scratch. For VAFO, Pets Deli offers exactly that: an established digital-first brand with genuine consumer trust, now backed by the manufacturing scale and R&D resources needed to push toward meaningfully higher growth over the coming years.
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