Drools & Tetra Recart®️ Just Changed Everything — India’s First Fresh Pet Food in a Carton Has Arrived
India’s pet food industry just witnessed its most significant moment yet. On April 6, 2026, Drools Pet Food announced a landmark collaboration with Tetra Recart®️ to launch a category that has never existed in Asia before: fresh pet food in retortable carton packaging. Backed by a ₹180 crore investment, this is not simply a new product hitting shelves. This is the beginning of an entirely new chapter in how Indian pet parents feed the animals they love.
A Country Ready for Something Better
The Indian pet parent of 2026 reads ingredient labels, consults vets about protein ratios, and wants their dog’s bowl to feel as close to a home-cooked meal as possible.
Drools saw this wave coming long before most — and rather than ride it with another premium kibble variant, they chose to build something the market had never seen.
The ₹180 Crore Bet on the Future
Through a strategic collaboration with Tetra Recart®️, Drools becomes the first pet food brand in Asia to introduce fresh pet food in Tetra Recart®️ packaging — bringing large-scale manufacturing, global packaging technology, and an entirely new nutrition format to the Indian market.
Fahim Sultan, Founder of Drools, put it plainly: India’s pet food market is at an inflection point. Pet parents are actively seeking fresher, more transparent nutrition. This collaboration with Tetra Recart®️ makes fresh pet food both accessible and scalable — not just a product innovation, but a redefinition of pet nutrition in India.
The Product Itself
Scaling fresh pet food in India has always been blocked by one problem: cold-chain logistics. Drools and Tetra Recart®️ have solved that elegantly.
Using Tetra Recart®️’s retortable carton technology, the food stays shelf-stable with no added preservatives and no refrigeration needed before opening. Made with 100% human-grade ingredients and 90% real chicken, slow-cooked for home-style nutrition, the range is available in four variants — Real Chicken and Vegetables, Real Chicken and Turkey, Real Chicken and Pumpkin, and Real Chicken Biryani — in 150g and 350g packs.
Real Chicken Biryani. For your dog. If that does not capture how deeply Drools understands the Indian pet parent, nothing will.
The Technology Behind the Carton
Tetra Recart®️ is not just a prettier box. Its multi-layer cartons protect against air and light, extend shelf life without preservatives, and carry a significantly lower carbon footprint than conventional metal cans — while staying lightweight and easy to dispose.
It also transforms the distribution. Fresh, high-quality pet food can now reach Bhopal, Coimbatore, and Guwahati just as easily as Mumbai and Bengaluru — without a single refrigerated truck.
Cassio Simões, Managing Director for South Asia Markets at Tetra Recart®️, said the collaboration demonstrates how advanced packaging technologies can unlock entirely new categories by combining fresh nutrition with convenience and scalability.
Backed by World-Class Partners
Backed by L Catterton and Nestlé S.A., Drools has built its product range around a team of veterinarians and nutrition experts. Sanjiv Mehta, Executive Chairman of L Catterton India and former Chairman and CEO of Hindustan Unilever, called this a strong reflection of forward-thinking leadership — one that embraces sustainability, technology, and innovation, positioning Drools firmly ahead of the curve.
L Catterton and Nestlé do not back experiments. They back businesses building the future.
A Category Is Born
When a company of Drools’ scale invests ₹180 crore and partners with Tetra Recart®️ to build a new category, every corner of the industry feels it. Other brands will follow. Retailers will build dedicated fresh food sections. Vets will start recommending minimally processed meals. The Indian pet parent’s definition of good pet food will shift — permanently.
The bar for pet food in India just moved. And Drools and Tetra Recart®️ moved it together.
Pets News Network (PNN) is India’s first dedicated OTT and news platform for the pet industry. This is a brand perspective feature. All facts have been independently verified.
