About Smack
Pet Food

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Zorro Dog

Our Story

Smack Pet Food was founded in 2007, inspired by our beloved family dog, Zorro

When Zorro was diagnosed with cancer, our mom, Emily, drew on her academic background in food production*, together with her son Michael’s shared passion for health and nutrition, to begin handcrafting nutrient-packed meals to help improve Zorro’s quality of life. Emily’s scientific background includes food production, biochemistry, immunology, and research, with experience developing reliable testing methods and studying nutrition, food quality, and health at a deeper scientific level. Together, Michael and Emily’s efforts defined Smack’s early focus on clean ingredients, careful formulation, and food safety.

Through that experience, our family discovered a deeper purpose: helping pets live healthier, happier lives through better nutrition. With the support and guidance of our parents, Yuri and Emily, that passion became Smack Pet Food — raw dehydrated superfoods for dogs and cats, made with clean, whole-food ingredients and crafted to deliver the benefits of raw feeding with everyday convenience. With their support and Michael’s leadership, the company grew out of our family’s basement into our first manufacturing facility, and into the mouths of many thousands of happy pets.

To further support our commitment to complete and balanced nutrition, we worked with Serge Boutet, an agrologist with over 40 years of experience specializing in animal nutrition, to develop recipes that are healthy, natural, nutritious, and thoughtfully balanced for our pets.

At Smack, we want the very best for our pets: to keep them happy, energetic, and full of life. That belief continues to guide everything we make today.

Sincerely,

Jonathon (CEO) and Michael (Chief Innovation Officer), brothers and cofounders

*Emily is an Engineer-Technologist and has a Diploma in Food Production (equivalent to a Master’s in Food Science) from the Soviet Union. Upon graduation she worked for the National Academy of Sciences in Kiev where she conducted research in cancer immunology. When Emily came to Canada in the 1970’s she began to work for Canada Grain Commission’s Research Labs, where she continued her studies with graduate level coursework in food analysis and biochemistry through the University of Manitoba.

Our Method

Our passion for providing nutritious, convenient, and delicious dehydrated food for pets stems from a family love of animals. Expertise in biochemistry, food engineering, and holistic medicine combined with an innovative production approach allows us to create the highest quality dehydrated pet food in the world.

Smack's raw dehydrated crunchy style superfoods are dehydrated using gentle, low-temperature air drying methods which retain more nutrients compared to freezing.

All Smack raw dehydrated foods feature a short list of the world’s best organic superfood ingredients that are proven highly beneficial for health and are also lip-smackingly good, without any fillers, gluten, or grain.

  • 2006 — INSPIRED BY ZORRO

    Smack’s story began with Zorro,
    the Giller family’s beloved dog.
    When Zorro was diagnosed with
    cancer, Emily Giller used her
    background in food science,
    alongside her son Michael, to begin
    handcrafting nutrient-packed meals
    to help improve his quality of life.

    A close-up side profile of a fluffy golden dog outdoors, with bright red flowers and green foliage in the background.

  • 2007 — WHERE IT BEGAN

    Established by the Giller family in
    2007, Smack grew with parents
    Yuri and Emily’s guidance and a
    shared purpose: helping pets
    thrive through better nutrition. Our
    first products were handcrafted
    and made in our family basement,
    laying the foundation for the raw
    dehydrated superfood for dogs
    and cats we create today.

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  • 2008 — OUR FIRST FACILITY

    A year later, we moved out of our
    family basement and into our first
    facility on Notre Dame Ave. in
    Winnipeg, Manitoba. With more
    space and professional equipment,
    we were able to grow our
    small-batch process while staying
    true to the quality and care that
    started it all.

    Two men wearing white hairnets stand in a warehouse holding a large whole salmon. One man on the left wears a green and white checkered shirt and gives a thumbs-up, while the man on the right wears a dark quilted jacket and holds the salmon horizontally.

  • 2022 — CANADA EXPANSION

    As demand grew, our production
    space grew with us. We expanded
    from our first 2,000 sq. ft.
    Canadian facility to 6,600 sq. ft.,
    and today, Smack operates in a
    25,000 sq. ft. facility on Sherwin
    Road in Winnipeg, Manitoba, built
    to support our continued growth.

    A large pink and white 'Smack' logo sign mounted on the exterior of a building with a gray textured facade and a teal awning above the entrance.

  • 2025 — U.S. EXPANSION

    Our second manufacturing facility
    in Aberdeen, South Dakota marks
    an important growth milestone,
    supporting U.S. operations, faster
    order fulfillment, and stronger
    service for retailers and pet
    parents.

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  • TODAY

    Still proudly family-owned and
    growing, Smack serves pet parents
    directly through our online store,
    partners with more than 2,500
    retailers across North America, and
    is available in Canada, the USA,
    South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan,
    and Singapore.

    Three people standing together in a warehouse or storage area with boxes and Smack-branded bags visible in the background. The person on the left wears a blue and red plaid shirt, the center person wears black, and the person on the right wears a bright pink Smack T-shirt.
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Just Scoop & Serve

It's Lip-Smackingly Good! Our Crunchy Style recipes are carefully made into bite-size squares that can be scooped and served like a kibble (or used as a super healthy training treat!). Hydration is not necessary, but warm water may be added to the food to soften into an antioxidant-rich, raw, meaty stew!

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