FirstMate

FirstMate Pet Foods is a family-owned Canadian pet food manufacturer that has been making food since 1989. The company was founded by Mike Florian and operates under the parent company Taplow Ventures in British Columbia. The business started unexpectedly. Florian was producing fish feed under the name Taplow Feeds when the dogs guarding his fish farm kept eating it. Asked to create a proper dog food, he developed what became the FirstMate brand. Today the company makes limited-ingredient and grain-free foods for dogs and cats, with a focus on simple, quality ingredients and controlled sourcing. Its dry food plant is in Chilliwack, British Columbia, and it also runs a cannery in the province. Alongside FirstMate, the company produces the Kasiks line, named after the Kasiks River in British Columbia where its founder spent time fishing, as well as the Skoki dog food brand. The brands are distributed in Canada, the United States, and internationally.