Evanger's

Who Makes It

Evanger's Dog & Cat Food Co. is a family-owned pet food company in Markham, Illinois, run by owners Joel and Holly Sher, with Holly Sher listed as president. It is best known for canned, hand-packed dog and cat foods, and it also sells dry food lines such as Super Premium and Grain Free. The company says it is the only privately held canned pet food manufacturer remaining in the United States. ^{1, 2, 3}

Where It Is Made

Evanger's makes its canned foods in its own cannery in Markham, Illinois, which it moved to in 2017 from its original plant in Wheeling, Illinois. The company says it works with a co-manufacturer to produce its dry pet food line. ¹

History

Fred Evanger, a Norwegian immigrant who raised Great Danes, started making pet food on his dairy farm in Wheeling, Illinois, in 1935. He sold the company in 1959 to two families, and Joel and Holly Sher bought it in 2002. In 2017 the company moved its cannery to a renovated building on a 5-acre property in Markham, Illinois. ¹

Worth Knowing

In 2017 Evanger's recalled Hunk of Beef, Braised Beef and Against the Grain Pulled Beef canned dog foods over possible pentobarbital contamination, after one dog died and others fell ill. The FDA classed the recall as Class I and closed its investigation in February 2018. A related consumer class action, Mael v. Evanger's, ended in a $545,500 settlement that received final approval in June 2020. ^{4, 5, 6, 7}

1. evangersdogfood.com/news-stories/family-owned-pet-food-cannery-looks-local-to-keep-formulas-fresh
2. bbb.org/us/il/markham/profile/wholesale-pet-foods/evangers-dog-cat-food-co-inc-0654-88009142
3. linkedin.com/company/evanger's-dog-and-cat-food-co.
4. fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/evangers-pet-food-and-against-grain-voluntarily-recalls-additional-products-out-abundance-caution
5. dvm360.com/view/fda-concludes-evangers-investigation-company-sues-meat-supplier
6. dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-recalls/evangers-dog-food-recall-expands
7. topclassactions.com/lawsuit-settlements/closed-settlements/evangers-toxic-dog-food-class-action-settlement

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