# American Journey - Chewy Brand Dog food?



## Dotbat215

Just received an email from Chewy offering 50% bags on a new brand, American Journey.

Some googling revealed that they own the trademark...I hope their food is as good as their customer service!

Here's the salmon formula:



> Deboned Salmon, Chicken Meal, Turkey Meal, Peas, Sweet Potatoes, Chickpeas, Pea Protein, Chicken Fat (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Dried Beet Pulp, Natural Flavor, Flaxseed, Menhaden Fish Meal, Blueberries, Carrots, Salt, Salmon Oil, Dried Kelp, Fructooligosaccharides, Choline Chloride, Vitamin E Supplement, Mixed Tocopherols (Natural Preservative), Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Proteinate, Zinc Sulfate, Iron Proteinate, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Niacin Supplement, Copper Sulfate, Potassium Chloride, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Pantothenate, Copper Proteinate, Riboflavin Supplement, Manganese Sulfate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Manganese Proteinate, Vitamin A Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid, Calcium Iodate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Dried Bacillus coagulans Fermentation Product, Rosemary Extract.


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## jaudlee

very interesting! I wonder how long they've been producing food and would love to hear more about it


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## Colleen2008

My mom works at chewy. It's been in development for a while but they just put it on the market. They plan to come out with a cat food as well eventually


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## Magwart

The ingredients are only half the story. 

The other half is who's really manufacturing the food. Since they are not likely to have purchased or built a plant, this is probably a private label food that is being manufactured for them. The question is: by whom?

Colleen, can your mom divulge that info?


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## Dotbat215

I asked their CS in a round-about way but didn't get an answer. Not sure if the rep was unsure or if they have restrictions on discussing it. Maybe Colleen can clear it up, or maybe someone else with a little more moxie can ask. Chewy has been great to work with so I felt a little guilty asking for too much info.


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## Magwart

Don't feel guilty! If a company isn't transparent about it, that's actually a red flag. They should be very proud of the manufacturer they've partnered with, if they've picked a good one. Any company that hides that or makes it hard to get the info damages their own credibility, as far as I'm concerned.

Feel free to ask their CS directly. There are some manufacturers with terrible recall histories, and you should be able to rule out the chance that they've partnered with one of them. 

If CS doesn't know the answer, ask them to research it and call them back -- if they're as good as you think they are, they'll do it. The last time I had a question for Fromm that their phone people couldn't answer, the #2 guy in the company called me back the same day with an answer -- _that _is how transparent companies treat their customers.


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## Dotbat215

*Update*

I did a bit more chatting with CS and cleared up some miscommunication on both of our parts.

What I got is this:

Chewy dog/cat food is being produced in private facility owned and operated by the company in Kansas. 

The rep is going to email me if there are other brands being made there.


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## lalabug

@Dotbat215 are you going to get some samples to try?


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## SamsontheGSD

I'm interested in hearing from anyone tat tries this food. The ingredients seem pretty good.


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## Jessica Capella

I emailed chewy and these was there response 
Thanks so much for reaching out. American Journey is manufactured through a third-party facility so any information such as their name, for example, belongs solely to them. We're unable to share the facility's name due to their independent ownership.

If there is anything else we can do to help, just let us know-- we?re here 24/7 to lend a helping paw! 

So personally I won't be jumping to switching to their food until there's a little more info to the public. I've got some mixed feelings about them. I've never had a problem with them their customer service is super nice and always will to do anything to fix the problem but this makes me a little concerned why they wouldn't want to share the third party's name


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## barnyard

If it's made in Kansas, the manufacturer is probably Crosswind, or CJs.
The food looks pretty good but won't work with chicken in it for my crew.


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## Magwart

Hm. Kansas is a clue, but there are lots and lots of plants there. 
Kansas City pet food players make up 61% of US sales | 2015-04-15 | PetfoodIndustry.com

I think we can rule out Diamond (my recollection is they're in SC), Mid-America (Texas), Pied Piper (Texas). I think Simmons might have a Kansas plant.


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## Dotbat215

Jessica Capella said:


> I emailed chewy and these was there response
> Thanks so much for reaching out. American Journey is manufactured through a third-party facility so any information such as their name, for example, belongs solely to them. We're unable to share the facility's name due to their independent ownership.
> 
> If there is anything else we can do to help, just let us know-- we?re here 24/7 to lend a helping paw!
> 
> So personally I won't be jumping to switching to their food until there's a little more info to the public. I've got some mixed feelings about them. I've never had a problem with them their customer service is super nice and always will to do anything to fix the problem but this makes me a little concerned why they wouldn't want to share the third party's name


I got a similar email from the cs rep I spoke to earlier in the week. *shrug* I guess we'll see what happens.


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## Magwart

The more I poke around, the more I suspect that it's Simmons (a/k/a Menu). This is, of course, pure speculation -- which is what Chewy seems to be inviting here.

Simmons bought the Menu Foods plant in Emporia, KS, and they produce lots of private label foods. That's their market niche -- Authority for PetSmart, Ol' Roy for Walmart, lots of store brands, etc. T

Google "Menu foods recall" to see the history under the old ownership -- they were at the center of the 2007 melamine mess that affected dozens of brands. That was, of course, before Simmons bought them. 

During that recall, we got a glimpse of how many brands Menu produced because they had to lift back the veil of secrecy. Here's the very old list:
Menu Foods Income Fund - Annual General Meeting

This more recent report claims to list some of the foods believed to be produced by Simmons:
https://halopets.com/pdf/StateDogFoodToday.pdf
It's an interesting list of high and low end -- Blue Buffalo, Nature's Variety.. and Ol' Roy. WHA?

Here's another list, dating back to 2012:
Who Makes What in Pet Food ? Truth about Pet Food

This new private label food for Chewy seems like it would fit in their product mix of store brands + some high end brands.


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## sarcroth

I really want to try the new brand but I've had previous problems with private label brands from other companies that made my dogs and cats severely ill so I am concerned now after hearing Chewy's response about this food.

I feel that if a supplier is proud of the company/brand behind a product they would heavily promote it, especially since it seems like Chewy is the only supplier of this food brand so if they are truly interested in promoting such an amazing brand of food and trust that the company making and supplying the food is of high quality they would gladly provide any information the public asked so as to sell more of the product.

By hiding the name of the company that manufactures the food, I feel that Chewy does not want to be affiliated with them by name which means the company may not have the best reputation. I still love Chewy (especially the Customer Service Department) and will continue to shop there, but I may avoid any and all future private label brands from them solely based on these responses. I would probably be less concerned with them if they were upfront that it was a questionable manufacturer than hiding the manufacturer completely.


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## Fritz Von Ludwick

My background is advertising, and my advice is simple. "If a dog food is on the shelves at the grocery store, don't buy it." My favorite example of the dog food rip-off is Hill's Science Diet. They try to come across as a family company from the Midwest who works with Veterinarians to promote dog wellness.

Hills is a division of multi-billion dollar Colgate-Palmolive. They fly Vets to their factory for lavish tours of their processing plant. Then Hills gives them a commission on every bag they sell. You are a captive audience as you pay your Vet to sell you Hills. 

Hills and other well know brands are nothing but filler, but they get $25 a bag for crap you would throw away in your own kitchen. Dog food is the waste from a companie's food division that they can not sell to humans. They cook the **** out of it, and flavor it to appeal to dogs. It is an extremely profitable operation.

If you look on the internet you will find out that it is easier and better for your dog to make your own dog food. Fresh vegetables are part of a healthy dog's menu.

In our house we base our decisions on what the dog food bag says the ingredients are. We have saved every empty dog food bag over the last few years. You would be shocked to understand what you are paying for. It is sad to see a once high quality dog food like Natural Balance cut back on quality ingredients since Del Monte bought them a couple of years back. 

My suggestion would be to check out the small dog food companies. You want high protein, low fat, and some vitamins like Omega 3. Then shop the sales at Amazon, Chewy, Jet and have the food delivered to your door for free.


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## gdenton55

*American Journey email response*

I just received a reply to my inquiry:

Thanks for reaching out! American Journey is our home brand. Chewy owns the facilities that produce the food and treats. Also, it is all made in America.


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## NancyJ

No go for me if I don't know the manufacturer and where it is made.


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## konathegsd

I have a bag that I got for free from chewy a few months ago but I never opened it.

I'm going to donate it to someone who is homeless and has a dog instead of using it.


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## Magwart

So they bought a plant? Which one???


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## gdenton55

Good luck getting that information. The first response I received is they couldn't tell me. So I told them then I couldn't buy the food. Then I received that email.


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## Magwart

I've looked through business news for any plant purchases by PetSmart, and I'm not finding anything. I kind of wonder if they acquired a stake in Simmons, which makes Authority for PetSmart. PS is privately owned and doesn't have to file a 10K. I think Simmons is too. Holding companies swapping private shares wouldn't surprise me at all. This is pure guess work though.

And if Chewy allegedly owns the plant, they surely have no contractual obligation to a third-party to keep a secret as to which one it is, right? They could proudly say, "We bought the XYZ plant in Whereever, Kansas" because it's their asset. Unless it's not really.


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