/UPDATE – Golden Pet Brands/ Golden Pet Brands has made an update to this release. Additional details are at the end.
Golden Pet Brands — Home of Dr. Marty Pets, Badlands Ranch, and Ultimate Pet Nutrition — Announces Key Executive Appointments
Apu Mody Named Chief Executive Officer
John Meloun Named Chief Financial Officer
LOS ANGELES, April 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Golden Pet Brands™, a newly formed multi-brand marketer and manufacturer of the highest quality, nutrient dense pet food, formerly part of Golden Hippo, announced the appointment of Apu Mody as Chief Executive Officer and John Meloun as Chief Financial Officer.
Mr. Mody brings more than 25 years of experience in the consumer packaged goods industry, having managed brands and portfolios up to $2.5 billion across Fortune 50 and private equity-backed companies. Mr. Mody served as the CEO/Executive Chairman of several fast growing consumer branded companies prior to joining Golden Pet Brands. Prior to that he served as President of Mars Food Americas and Middle East as well as Senior Vice President and Managing Director of Consumer Products at Del Monte Foods, where he oversaw a nine-figure acquisition of pet food and food assets. His experience spans strategic leadership, brand development, operations, and multi-channel distribution across retail, e-commerce, and wholesale. Mr. Mody holds an MBA from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business.
Mr. Meloun joins from Xponential Fitness, a multi-brand, global franchisor of boutique health and wellness brands, where he served as Chief Financial Officer for nearly eight years. Prior to this, he served as CFO of The Joint Chiropractic, a national network of more than 850 modern patient-centric chiropractic offices. Mr. Meloun also served on the board of directors at WellBiz Brands, Inc., a beauty and wellness platform. He holds an MBA from Arizona State University's W. P. Carey School of Business. As CFO, Mr. Meloun oversees financial operations for Golden Pet Brands, including the company's vertically integrated manufacturing and direct-to-consumer business.
Golden Pet Brands portfolio includes three primary brands — Dr. Marty Pets®, Badlands Ranch®, and Ultimate Pet Nutrition® — each shaped by veterinarians, founders, and advocates who lead product development and consumer education. Each of the company's brands offers nutrient-dense, minimally processed food, treats, and supplements for dogs and cats. The company produces long-form educational content across national television and digital platforms.
The Brands
Dr. Marty Pets created in partnership with Dr. Marty Goldstein, an integrative veterinarian with a Cornell University DVM and more than 50 years of clinical experience. Dr. Goldstein is the author of The Nature of Animal Healing and The Spirit of Animal Healing, and the subject of the documentary The Dog Doc. Dr. Marty Pets offers Nature's Blend, a line of freeze-dried raw recipes for dogs, and Nature's Feast, a freeze-dried raw food for cats. Cesar Millan, dog behaviorist and host of Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan, serves as brand champion for Dr. Marty Pets.
Badlands Ranch was created in partnership with Katherine Heigl, actress and animal welfare advocate who co-founded the Jason Heigl Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to animal protection. The brand features air-dried recipes and functional treats for dogs. Superfood Complete™, an air-dried recipe in the Badlands Ranch line, is made with 87% beef, beef heart, beef liver, and salmon, and includes pumpkin, blueberries, and turmeric. Dr. Ambika Vaid, DVM, serves on the Badlands Ranch Veterinary Advisory Board.
Ultimate Pet Nutrition was created in partnership with Dr. Gary Richter, DVM, founder of Holistic Veterinary Care in Oakland, Calif., and author of The Ultimate Pet Health Guide, Longevity for Dogs and Longevity for Cats. The brand offers Nutra Complete™, a freeze-dried raw food for dogs with 95% animal-sourced ingredients, and Nutra Thrive™, a veterinarian-formulated supplement for dogs and cats. Rob Lowe, actor known for The West Wing and 9-1-1: Lone Star who rescues at-risk shelter dogs with his family, serves as Chief Pet Advocate for Ultimate Pet Nutrition.
Manufacturing and Quality
The company owns and operates Golden Pet Manufacturing, its own manufacturing facility in Germantown, Wis., that produces freeze-dried and air-dried pet food and treats. The facility holds a BRC AA+ food safety rating and Golden Pet Brands manages the supply chain from ingredient sourcing through production and safety testing.
About Golden Pet Brands
Golden Pet Brands™ is a multi-brand marketer and manufacturer of the highest quality, nutrient dense pet food and is headquartered in Los Angeles. Having entered the market in 2017, the company's portfolio of brands includes Dr. Marty Pets®, Badlands Ranch®, and Ultimate Pet Nutrition®. Golden Pet Brands owns a BRC AA+ rated manufacturing facility in Wisconsin and employs more than 400 people. To learn more, visit www.goldenpetbrands.com.
To shop Dr. Marty Pets, visit www.drmartypets.com
To shop Badlands Ranch, visit www.badlandsranch.com
To shop Ultimate Pet Nutrition, visit www.ultimatepetnutrition.com
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Editor's Note: Dan Markenson's caption has been corrected from Head of Retail to VP of Retail.
SOURCE Golden Pet Brands
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