Global Pet Expo 2026 Recap: What We Saw, What Stood Out, and What Comes Next

Hey everyone. Marcus here.

I just got back from three days at Global Pet Expo 2026 in Orlando, and I wanted to write this while everything is still fresh. Not a press release. Not a corporate recap. Just my honest take on what happened on the show floor, what surprised me, and what I think it means for the industry and for us.

My background is in biology, and I co-founded Natural Farm because I believed the pet industry needed more substance and less marketing. This year at GPE, for the first time, I felt like the rest of the industry is starting to agree.

GPE 2026 by the Numbers

Global Pet Expo 2026 took place March 25-27, 2026 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL. Organized by APPA and PIDA, the show brought together 1,000+ exhibitors across 3,000+ booths in the $152+ billion pet care market.

The 16th annual New Products Showcase featured entries across 13 categories including Dog Food/Treats, Natural Pet, Pet Tech Innovation, Sustainable Pet, and a new addition: the Human-Animal Bond Breakthrough Award, selected by HABRI. The Pet Sustainability Coalition Pavilion returned with daily education sessions in the Natural & Sustainable section.

Natural Farm has participated in Global Pet Expo for several years, and I want to acknowledge the work APPA and PIDA put into this event. The logistics, the education programming through the Global Learning Series and Pet Summit, and the buyer networking infrastructure continue to improve. GPE remains the event where real business happens in pet, and we're grateful to be part of it.

Three Things the Show Floor Told Me

Before GPE, I wrote about five trends I expected to see at the show. After walking the floor for three days, here's what actually stood out to me:

1. Buyers are done with vague claims

This was the clearest signal I picked up. The most common question at our booth wasn't "what's your price point?" It was "where do you source?" and "can I see the lab results?" Buyers told me they're getting the same questions from pet parents in their stores. The brands that had real answers had longer conversations. The ones that didn't got polite nods and moved on.

2. Functional ingredients are no longer a premium niche

Collagen, probiotics, science-backed formulations. These weren't in the "specialty" section anymore. They were everywhere: in daily food, in chews, in treats. As a biologist, this is the shift I've been hoping for. Pet parents want visible results (better coats, healthier joints, improved digestion), and the industry is finally building products around outcomes instead of just ingredient lists.

3. The food aisle is expanding in ways that matter

Freeze-dried, kibble + air-dried mixes, toppers, functional add-ons. The old "kibble or raw" binary is dissolving. I saw buyers actively looking for step-up formats that let their customers upgrade from standard dry food without switching to an entirely different feeding approach. That's exactly the gap our new kibble + air-dried mix is designed to fill.

What Happened at Booth #1804

We brought the biggest product lineup Natural Farm has ever shown at a single event. I'm going to be honest about what worked and what surprised me.

Cold-Dried™ Bully Sticks stopped people mid-walk

Cold-Dried™ Bully Sticks were the product that physically stopped people walking past our booth. The density is immediately different from any standard bully stick. Buyers would pick one up, feel the weight, and the conversation would start. Not "what is this?" but "how does this work?" and "when can I stock it?"

I developed this product because I was frustrated with the limitations of standard drying methods. High heat is fast and cheap, but it denatures protein and leaves a softer chew that dogs demolish in minutes. Our proprietary low-temperature process preserves the natural protein structure: up to 97% crude protein, 1% fat, denser, longer-lasting, odor-free, single ingredient. The science works, and it was gratifying to see buyers immediately understand why it matters.

If your customers complain their dog finishes bully sticks too fast, this is the answer. Read the complete Cold-Dried™ guide.

Collagen dog food generated the most distributor follow-ups

Our dog food line features collagen as a functional ingredient for joint health, skin, coat, and gut integrity. Available across dry food, wet food, and freeze-dried formats. At the booth, this was consistently the product that led to "let's talk distribution" conversations. Retailers are hearing from customers that they want food that does more than fill the bowl. Collagen is the ingredient they ask about most.

Freeze-dried flavors and kibble + air-dried confirmed the momentum

Our freeze-dried food has been one of our fastest-growing lines. The new flavors we debuted at GPE expanded that momentum. Buyers who already carry the line wanted more SKUs. Buyers who didn't were interested after seeing the range.

The kibble + air-dried mix also drew strong interest. It's a new format that bridges the gap between the convenience of standard kibble and the nutritional density of minimally processed food. For retailers, it's an upsell that feels natural to the customer.

The core lineup anchored everything

Behind the new launches, buyers also explored what makes Natural Farm, Natural Farm: bully sticks in every size and thickness, Power Chews for dogs that destroy everything, collagen sticks for joint and coat support, and the full range of single ingredient natural chews. Every product at our booth shares the same foundation: grass-fed, odor-free, USDA inspected, third-party lab tested, manufactured in our own facility. That's not a marketing story. It's the way we build.

A Biologist's Take: Why This Year Felt Different

I've always approached pet nutrition the way I was trained to think about biological systems: start with the raw material, understand the process, verify the outcome. For years, that approach felt like overkill in a market where "natural" could mean almost anything and nobody asked for proof.

This year, the questions I heard at our booth were the questions a scientist would ask. Moisture content. Protein structure preservation at low temperatures. Why our guaranteed analysis numbers differ from competitors. These are the right questions. And they're exactly the ones we built our products to answer.

What's Next

GPE 2026 validated what we've been building. The booth conversations confirmed that Cold-Dried™ solves a real problem, that collagen in dog food resonates with both retailers and pet parents, and that the demand for transparency is accelerating.

Here's what we're focused on coming out of the show:

• Rolling out Cold-Dried™ Bully Sticks to retail and expanding availability
• Launching the new freeze-dried food flavors across our distribution network
• Bringing the kibble + air-dried mix to market
• Expanding retail display solutions to make it easier for stores to carry Natural Farm
• Continuing to lead on transparency: single supplier, own facility, USDA inspected, third-party tested

If you're a retailer or distributor interested in carrying Natural Farm, reach out to our sales team at sales@naturalfarmpet.com.

And to everyone who stopped by Booth #1804, thank you. Our team had a blast presenting our latest innovations, connecting with attendees, and giving belly rubs to every single dog that wandered by our booth (and there were a lot of them). The conversations were real, the interest was genuine, and we're already looking forward to next year.

See you on the floor.

Marcus Maximo
Co-Founder, Natural Farm

Couldn't make it to the show? Explore what we showcased:

Follow us on Instagram @naturalfarmpet or connect on LinkedIn at Natural Farm.