Zoomark 2025: What You Missed, What It Means, and Why It Might Just Change Your Expansion Plans

Zoomark International is the show everyone calls “bigger than global”—but at what cost?  

Zoomark 2025 filled 10 giant halls with almost 1 million square footage (you read this right!) and claimed record attendance. Yet, the most-echoed comment in Bologna was not about products, but traffic. 

“We spent two to sometimes three hours every day just trying to get there and back,” recalled Eric Rittenhouse, Business Development Manager at BSM Partners. 

Logistics matter. Staff who arrive exhausted have fewer (and shorter) conversations. If you plan to exhibit at Zoomark in 2027, budget for a dedicated shuttle or a chauffeur-style solution—it paid for itself in meetings we otherwise would have missed. 

Innovation, or Innovation-Washing? 

Trade-press headlines shouted “innovation,” “sustainability,” and “record numbers of attendees and new pet products,” yet the floor told a subtler story. 

“Meat-first formulas, functional diets and single-protein meals… innovation of 2025? This was launched 30 years ago,” added Emilie Mesnier, Vice President of European Operations at BSM Partners, with dismay. 

From her observation, real novelty and true innovation hid in small booths: 100% paper kibble bags already commercialized in Europe; functional ingredients with clear, accessible, and published companion-animal data; and a flurry of bold brands promising truly more sustainable ingredients and taking a clear stand for the planet and animal welfare. This ranged from local algal DHA, fermentation proteins, insect alternatives and startups developing complete-and- balanced options using these new ingredients, or experimenting with a mix to help manage consumer’s fears. If your team walked only the main aisles, you probably missed the future. 

Ingredient R&D Is Europe’s Quiet Advantage 

“I’ve never heard of so many new ingredients backed by proper studies,” noted Michael Johnson, Principal of Branding, Strategy, and Marketing (BSM2) at BSM Partners. 

Nate Thomas, Co-Founder and Partner, added: “European suppliers don’t launch until the data are airtight, whereas in the U.S., they often ‘launch now, prove later.’” 

For manufacturers: if your competitive moat at home is “we own the science,” know that European formulators may already be ahead. For retailers: ask your vendors why an ingredient is in the formula—and demand the white paper that backs it up. 

The key take-away for U.S. brands? European buyers are willing to trial cutting-edge ingredients—after you show validated research. Bring dossiers, not just deck slides. 

Marketing: Less Gloss, More Layers 

American trade shows overflow with neon backdrops and influencer photo booths; Zoomark favored full-service cafés inside stands—relationships first, Instagram second. Yet, brand architecture still lags. 

“Some companies use the same name across four price tiers—I couldn’t tell premium from basic except by price tag,” Johnson observed. 

Here’s the opportunity: a disciplined tiering strategy (involving clear visual cues, benefit ladders, and pack-size logic) can let a continental newcomer out-merchandise entrenched local players—especially in grocery, still Europe’s dominant channel for pet food purchases. 

Pricing & Premiumization—A Waiting Volcano 

European per-pet spend is less than half of U.S. levels, despite a larger companion-animal population. The ceiling is far from reached, but culture matters. 

“Americans wear ‘pet-first’ as a badge of honor; Europeans still ask why they should pay double unless the benefit is proven,” Mesnier noted. 

The emerging sweet spot is “accessible sustainability.” In Europe, brands like Edgar & Cooper position recyclable packs and carbon metrics at mainstream price points—a model ripe for cross-Atlantic replication. 

Direct-to-Consumer Is Europe’s Test Kitchen 

Zoomark hinted at a trend we confirmed during client visits: the most daring formulations launch online first, then selectively enter brick-and-mortar stores once unit economics stabilize. 

For U.S. exporters: pair your launch with a DTC front-end to test messaging country by country before betting on distributors. For European brands eyeing the States: lean on the mature U.S. e-commerce infrastructure to de-risk your debut. 

Don’t Ignore Process Innovation 

While ingredient chatter dominated, production technology felt static. 

“Process innovation is what’s really lacking right now—so products keep looking the same,” Thomas argued. 

Vacuum-coating for functional inclusions, energy-efficient dryers, AI-driven extrusion controls—all these innovations were conspicuously scarce on the Zoomark show floor. A co-manufacturer willing to invest here could leapfrog both sides of the Atlantic.

Culture & Values Travel Better Than Claims 

Amanda Olsen-Thomas, Executive Assistant at BSM Partners, reflected: “Sit down with European partners and you realize we share the same values. That becomes the light at the end of the tunnel.” 

Consumers increasingly buy those values. Whether it’s radical transparency (Open Farm-style ingredient tracing, cited by two separate Italian founders at the show) or bold carbon accounting, the story must be as auditable as the science. 

US vs EU: Five Head-Turning Divergences You Need to Keep In Mind 

At BSM Partners, we steer clear of blanket statements and urge our clients to ground every decision in data, rigorous testing, and long-haul strategy—yet, after dozens of projects, certain US-versus-EU patterns keep resurfacing: 

Dimension	United States	European Union
Innovation Pace	Launch, then validate: Brands race to shelf on bold concepts—high-protein, freeze-dried, “ancestral”—and sort the science later.	Validate, then launch: Ingredient houses publish white papers first; retailers won’t list without substantiation. Result: fewer SKUs, deeper dossiers.
Sustainability Narrative	Still aspirational: Claims compete with cost: “green—if it doesn’t raise the price.”	More regulatory push (e.g., single-material packs) and consumer pull. “Accessible sustainability” (Edgard & Cooper style) wins in grocery spaces.
Functional Ingredients	Marketing-led: collagen, turmeric, CBD—efficacy levels are often fuzzy.	Science-led: post-biotics, insect protein, algae-derived omegas—all backed by EU-centric trials and clear dosage targets.
Channel Strategy	Specialty retailers and Chewy dominate premium; DTC adds flare, but isn’t mandatory.	Grocery is still king for volume, while most cutting-edge concepts incubate online first, then jump to brick-and-mortar.
Cultural Lens on Pets	“Pet-first” pride: spending is a virtue signal. Up-trading continues even amid inflation.	Pragmatic affection: pets are family, but budgets stay rational. Bold claims face a “prove it” filter and price-value test.

Mesnier sums it up: “The U.S. tells a warm story first and checks data later; Europe asks for the proof up-front, then decides if the story is worth paying for.” 

For formulators and brand owners, these gaps aren’t barriers—they’re launch pads. Marry U.S. storytelling with EU rigor and you’ll stand out as innovative on both sides of the Atlantic. 

Action Checklist 

If you are…	Do this next
A European brand targeting the U.S.	• Audit SKUs against FDA & AAFCO gaps  • Translate pack claims into U.S. “pet-parent” vernacular (ditch “BARF” immediately!)  • Line up co-man capacity before Black Friday 2026
A U.S. brand eyeing Europe	• Build a substantiation file now—it will be asked for  • Start with one to two countries; localize pack sizes for the grocery channel  • Pilot DTC to collect price-elasticity data
A co-manufacturer	• Offer small-run pilots with novel actives  • Invest in traceability tech—European clients will pay for it
A retailer or distributor	• Curate a “proof-backed functional” bay—educational shelf talkers included  • Test lower-carbon packaging SKUs and measure lift

What Now? 

Zoomark 2025 confirmed what we’ve suspected for a while: the industry sits at a bright but daunting crossroads—demand is soaring, while tolerance for “me-too” ideas is fading. The future of the industry belongs to companies bold enough to invest, transparent enough to prove their claims, and sharp enough to meet pet parents where they’re headed. 

Between the six of us from BSM Partners on the ground in Bologna, we brought 140 years of cross-discipline pet industry know-how, and that Swiss-army knife expertise let us connect dots others missed. 

If you’re a European company ready for a U.S. success story—or a North American brand itching to win on European shelves—let’s trade notes over something stronger than trade-show espresso! 

As our colleague Jordan Tyler, Director of Media at BSM Partners, put it: “Is it even innovation if nobody brings it to the pet parent who needs it?” Exactly. Let’s bring it—together. 

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About the Authors

Émilie Mesnier's passion for pets ignited during a 2007 internship in palatability research and has propelled her ever since. A French-trained food scientist, she now blends two decades of global know-how—nutrition, marketing, sustainability, animal welfare and international growth—into one goal: better foods and lives for animals. A lifelong learner who has absorbed insights from 80-plus business books on strategy and continuous improvement, Émilie turns ideas into action every day. After 16 years in the US and running a small farm animal rescue sanctuary in Utah, Emilie moved children, husband and two senior pets back to France in early 2025 to bring BSM Partners’ full suite of consulting services closer to clients across the European market.

Jordan Tyler is the Director of Media at BSM Partners. She has more than five years of experience reporting on trends, best practices and developments in the North American pet nutrition industry. Jordan resides in Bentonville, Arkansas, with her husband and their four furry family members.