Finland’s Alvar Pet acquires Verkkokauppa Kivuton, an online pet health store

Helsinki-based pet food brand Alvar Pet has acquired Verkkokauppa Kivuton, an online store focusing on pet health, while partnering with Juuri Partners, a Finnish growth investor. The acquisition allows Alvar Pet to combine its expertise in pet nutrition with Kivuton’s focus on pet health.

About Alvar Pet

• Founded in 2020 and led by CEO Ilari Haataja, Alvar Pet is a Finnish pet food brand specializing in individually tailored dog diets. The company prioritizes health, high quality, and sustainability in its product range, aiming to minimize the carbon paw print.
• The company specializes in individually feeding plans, which are developed under the leadership of the company’s co-founder Henna Söderholm. Alvar Pet serves more than 40,000 pet households across the Nordic countries, such as Finland, Sweden, and Denmark.

Investment details

• Verkkokauppa Kivuton was founded in 2006 in Joensuu, Finland, originally as a veterinary clinic with a focus on pet health. Currently, it offers a range of specialty diets for pets. The joint annual sales of Alvar Pet and Kivuton have surpassed €10 million, showing a 60% annual organic growth rate.

Pet owners are showing increased interest in supporting the health and special needs of their pets through nutrition. Products of Alvar Pet are developed under our veterinarian’s guidance, and Kivuton offers the most extensive range of special diets in the country. Together, we aim to make individual and responsible premium pet foods more accessible to pet owners across the Nordics,

Ilari Haataja, co-founder and CEO of Alvar Pet, says.

• The acquisition follows the announcement of the partnership with Juuri Partners, a Finnish growth investor. The team of Juuri Partners manages the private equity funds Juuri Rahasto I Ky and Juuri Rahasto II Ky amounting to approximately €200 million, which finance small- and medium-sized enterprises in Finland. 

The deal amount was undisclosed. According to both teams, Alvar Pet and Kivuton aim to form the largest online store in the Nordics specialized in pet health, offering pet owners a wide range of products and diets individually tailored to pets’ needs.