Alpo (pet food) facts for kids
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| Private | |
| Industry | Pet food |
| Founded | 1936 |
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Area served
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Worldwide |
| Products | Dog food |
| Owner | Nestlé Purina PetCare |
Alpo is a popular American brand of dog food. It is made by Nestlé Purina PetCare, which is part of a bigger company called Nestlé. Alpo makes dog food that comes in cans, soft packages, and dry crunchy pieces called kibbles.
The Story of Alpo
Alpo started way back in 1936. A man named Robert F. Hunsicker created it in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The name "Alpo" is actually short for "Allen Products." The first factory was in a small building in Allentown.
Over the years, Alpo changed owners several times. In 1964, a company called Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company bought Allen Products. Later, in 1980, another company named Grand Metropolitan bought Liggett & Myers.
Grand Metropolitan sold off parts of its business, but it kept Alpo Petfoods, Inc. Then, in 1995, the big company Nestlé bought Alpo Petfoods. In 2001, Nestlé combined its pet food business, Nestlé Friskies, with another company called Ralston Purina. This created the Nestlé Purina PetCare Company, which still owns Alpo today.
How Alpo is Advertised
For many years, famous people helped advertise Alpo on TV. One well-known person was Lorne Greene. He even joked that Alpo was so good, he fed it to his own dogs! Ed McMahon also appeared in many Alpo commercials.
In the 1990s, the famous cartoon cat Garfield became a "spokescat" for Alpo. Alpo was also the first sponsor of the TV show 60 Minutes when it started on September 24, 1968.
Alpo is also known for its ads that focus on "real dogs." These ads often make light of people who treat their dogs like pampered pets. Instead, they show dogs that love to play and get a little messy.
