
October 21, 2024
GREEN BAY – For the fifth consecutive year, Carnivore Meat Company, located at 545 S. Grandview Road in Green Bay, was named to Inc. 5000’s List of Fastest Growing Private Companies in America for the fifth consecutive year – this year coming in at No. 4,936.
“It’s an honor to join this prestigious list once, but to be named on the Inc. 5000 list for the fifth consecutive year is truly an outstanding accomplishment and milestone for us,” Carnivore CEO Heather Govea said.
The raw pet food manufacturer, Govea said, has demonstrated 75% revenue growth over three years.
“I think it’s about the strong work ethic of the people of Northeast Wisconsin,” she said. “It’s about our people and the quality of our product. Our continued presence on this list shows our consistent commitment to providing the highest quality premium products to pet owners.”
Govea said she doesn’t see Carnivore’s growth stopping anytime soon.
“I hope we get to a place where we’re on Forbes 1000 and Forbes 500 because of the growth I think we can achieve,” she said.
Within the next three years, Govea said Carnivore plans to double its capacity.
“Looking ahead, Carnivore is poised for significant global expansion, including projecting growth in international markets and Canada,” she said.
According to the Inc. 5000 website (inc.com/inc5000), this year’s top 5,000 companies saw an average median three-year revenue growth rate of 1,637%.
In total, this year’s Inc. 5000 companies have added 874,458 jobs to the economy over the past three years.
In addition to being named to the most recent Inc. 5000 list, Carnivore has been recognized for its growth accomplishments and manufacturing excellence with several awards in recent years, including the Greater Green Bay Chamber Growth Award, Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year Award, Governor’s Export Achievement Award and Greater Green Bay Chamber Manufacturing Award of Distinction.
The new facility
Carnivore broke ground on its new 235,000-square-foot plant in August 2022 and completed the expansion this June, Govea said.
“Currently, even though this facility is here, we are still going back and forth between our Ontario facility (2878 Ontario Road) and here,” she said. “The Ontario facility will continue to run, but we’re looking at, ‘How do we add more capacity here?’ We’re starting to think about where we can put additional freeze driers and things of that nature. We’ll really occupy the new building starting in 2025.”

Currently, the new facility has a handful of freeze-driers onsite, but Govea said they have room for more than 70.
“That shows how much we plan to grow,” she said.
With dimensions of about 300 feet by 1,000 feet, with 10,000 cubic yards of concrete and 2.9 million pounds of steel, Govea said the building is “absolutely stunning.
“This is also a pet-friendly facility, so we have play areas for dogs and a dog-washing station,” she said.
A sabbatical cut short
Govea said before she was offered the CEO position at Carnivore earlier this year on March 18, she had planned to take some time off from working to reset.
“I wasn’t sure how long (the sabbatical would last), but it ended up being only a couple of months,” she laughed. “Having said that, it’s been great to be here. I officially started May 1, but even before that, I was doing some legwork to prepare.”
Though Govea said it wasn’t in her immediate plans to step back into another leadership role, she had been watching Carnivore’s growth for quite some time.
“I wasn’t looking for anything in particular – I’ve been working in the pet industry for almost 30 years and have always been passionate about pets,” she said. “I had been watching Carnivore – I have brands I keep my eyes on. I saw its growth and the investments it was making and thought it would be a good fit. This category of the pet industry – raw frozen and freeze-dried pet food and treats – is on a huge growth trend. Carnivore was smack in the middle of what I think the future is.”
Govea said she prefers smaller communities and what a major industry leader can bring to the table for them.
“I like small communities because it’s great to see how much it impacts the community,” she said. “You get to better the lives of the people who work for you. Growth means you can do more for your employees and community.”
Govea said Carnivore Founder/former CEO, Lanny Viegut, stepped aside last October before a search was conducted to find the next CEO.
“Lanny did an outstanding job growing the company, but I think he wanted to step aside – he has grandkids,” she said. “He was ready to hand the keys over to someone else. The reason you work so hard in your working years is so you can eventually spend more time with family.”

Govea said Northeast Wisconsin has been “a breath of fresh air for her,” but she attributes some of that to what Viegut and the team around her built before she came on board.
“Having spent so much time in pet food factories over the last 10 years in small communities, Northeast Wisconsin has been great – it’s the work ethic of the people who work for us and call this home,” she said. “First, we create a good environment, but we don’t currently have a problem finding good, quality employees. That’s a tribute to leadership and Lanny for doing that.”
Govea said when she took over in May, there were about 185 employees.
“Now, we’re up to about 210,” she said. “I’m used to having to really advertise to get our name out there to recruit employees – manufacturing pet food is not the most glamorous and cleanest job out there. At Carnivore, most of our referrals come from friends of friends and family. We have entire families working at Carnivore together. With trying times, people may cut back in other areas (vacations, going out to eat, etc.) but not with pets – pets are family.”
A bit of history
According to the company website (carnivoremeat.com), the idea behind Carnivore was born while Viegut was on a walk with his wife in August 2012.
Some of Carnivore’s best sellers are freeze-dried minnows, along with beef, chicken, turkey, rabbit, wild boar and salmon treat bites.
Freeze drying, Viegut said, maintains the nutritional and structural integrity of the food and is safe and convenient for storage without refrigeration.
Carnivore distributes to more than 7,000 retailers nationwide along, with more than a dozen international markets around the globe.