“Pet food is a world of its own, but there’s a lot of overlap with food.”

May 28 2025 - Blog

If anyone knows how much can happen in a year, it’s Arjan van Waes. He joined IQI in June 2024 as Director Sales Europe and stepped into the role of Global Sales Director just four months later. And it wasn’t just his role that evolved – plenty changed within IQI as well. Arjan reflects on his first, eventful year at IQI – and gives us a peek into the future.

Arjan immediately felt part of the team. “At IQI, you’re surrounded by experienced professionals from the pet food sector, all bringing deep expertise and a strong commitment,” he says. “There’s a genuine team spirit here.” That positive environment, combined with IQI’s entrepreneurial drive, quickly propelled Arjan into the role of Global Sales Director. “It’s a big compliment,” Arjan reflects. “And it also makes perfect sense to manage our sales teams as one. There’s a lot of synergy between the European and North American markets – in terms of suppliers, customers, trends, and logistics. Working as one global team allows us to serve our customers and suppliers even better.”

From food to pet food

With over 14 years of experience in the food industry, Arjan brings broad expertise and deep industry insight to the table. “Pet food really is a world of its own,” he says, “but there’s also a lot of overlap.” In the food sector, Arjan worked extensively with meat products. “Texture, juiciness, and processability are key – you don’t want a sausage to fall apart when you slice it.” These same challenges apply to wet pet food, a relatively new segment for IQI. Drawing on his background, Arjan played a key role in building this segment and finding the right talent to support it, such as Sales Manager Rick Houtepen.

More than a processor or distributor

The collaboration with parent company OSI Group has made expansion into new segments a logical next step. IQI not only benefits from OSI’s global network and supply chain but also gains access to high-quality ingredients that are a perfect fit for the wet pet food segment – such as bacon fat and beef MDM. “We’re no longer just a processor or distributor, but also a producer,” Arjan explains. “This allows us to better support our customers in developing innovative, front-of-pack claim ingredients – whether for kibble, wet pet food, or snacks & treats.”

The IQI approach: pure, innovative, and transparent 

These front-of-pack claim ingredients are exactly what sets IQI apart in the pet food market. Ingredients with clear traceability, proven functionality, and a clean composition – like lamb meal that is truly made from 100% lamb, without blending in other protein sources. “Ingredient integrity is absolutely critical to us,” Arjan emphasizes. “An adulterated ingredient doesn’t just damage our brand or that of our customers – it can harm the entire industry.” That’s why IQI places such a strong focus on transparency and quality control, from source to finished product. This approach aligns not only with the expectations of premium and veterinary brands, but also with what pet parents demand for their companions. 

Innovation through collaboration 

The pet food market is constantly evolving, but true innovation remains a challenge. “Many companies are just copying each other,” says Arjan. “There’s a lot of repetition instead of genuine renewal.” And when real innovation does happen, it often gets stuck internally – with departments working in silos or involving the supply chain too late. IQI takes a different approach. “With our new IQI Kitchen Challenge, we bring all stakeholders together early on – from R&D and marketing to procurement and production, along with our suppliers. That’s how you create solutions that are technically sound, commercially viable, and faster to implement.” This kind of co-creation not only drives innovation – it actively fosters an entrepreneurial culture within customer organizations. Such a culture is essential for sustainable growth. 

Making a difference 

Helping customers make a difference is what motivates Arjan the most. For instance, by supplying an ingredient that enables them to produce a product they otherwise couldn’t. Arjan: “That’s what it’s all about for me. I’ve always been a customer-focused professional with a strong passion for the technical aspects of ingredients and production processes.”

Shaping tomorrow’s pet food market

“Pet food is starting to look more and more like the food we eat ourselves,” says Arjan. “Humanization is a trend embraced by an increasing number of brands, along with personalization and functional nutrition.” IQI supports these developments by actively expanding its portfolio with ingredients that are both distinctive and functionally validated. Products like FungiBite, chicken plasma, oat protein, SPC oat care and insect protein are carefully selected for their nutritional value, flavor, and processability. “We’re not just expanding our portfolio of ingredients,” Arjan continues, “we’re also focusing on new segments like fresh pet food and snacks & treats. Together with OSI and our international sales team, we’re ready for the pet food of tomorrow.” 

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