SHEBA® Brand Partners With Kate Walsh To Launch The World's Largest Coral Restoration Program

FRANKLIN, Tenn., May 5, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the SHEBA® brand revealed Hope Reef, the start of the world's largest coral reef restoration program to preserve and restore the beauty in our oceans. To support the announcement, the SHEBA team has partnered with activist, actress and entrepreneur, Kate Walsh, and her cat Pablo, to help grow hope. By the end of 2029, the program plans to restore coral reefs the size of nearly 150 Olympic Swimming Pools through its full coral restoration project.

As one of the leading cat food brands, SHEBA hopes to play the role of a catalyst, helping to ensure the future has coral reefs and fish. Hope Reef, located off the coast of Sulawesi in Indonesia, in the Spermonde Archipelago, was built to visibly spell out the word 'H-O-P-E' from the seabed using restored coral to show the power of positive change, and spark action from others. The reef – which can be seen on Google Earth – was kicked off in 2019 and has already increased in coral cover from 5 to 55%, resulting in an abundance of fish and the return of species such as sharks and turtles. 

"We know how much cats love fish, and it's important to provide all of our family members the high-quality, nutritious food they crave. But that shouldn't have to come at the expense of our oceans," said Craig Neely, Vice President of Marketing at Mars Petcare. "We're committed to doing our part to ensure our future has fish, and Hope Reef is our first step in doing so."

Scientists estimate that if we do nothing, 90% of the world's tropical reefs will be gone by 2043, threatening 25% of all the world's marine life and impacting nearly 500 million people who depend on them for food, income and coastal protection.¹ The effort to solve this requires global cooperation on a massive scale and the SHEBA team hopes that the campaign will start a movement to contribute to the cause.

To rally support for the program, the SHEBA brand is excited to partner with Walsh, an animal lover and long-time advocate for ocean and marine life, and her cat Pablo, to inspire pet parents to take action and grow hope. Feline-loving fans can join the movement and experience the Hope Reef from home via a first-of-its-kind YouTube Channel. With every view of "The Film That Grows Coral" and other videos on the channel, the advertising money generated is invested back into coral reef regeneration through campaign partner, The Nature Conservancy. This is the first time ever that 100% of the funds from a branded YouTube channel have been reinvested to support sustainability efforts.

"We all have a responsibility to make our planet a better place. While Pablo may not know it, the food he loves depends on the future of fish," said Walsh. "That's why I am happy to be partnering with SHEBA to help encourage action from fellow feline families and inspire hope, that together we can create a positive change in the future of our ocean health."  

Hope Reef furthers years of work done by the parent company of the SHEBA brand, Mars, Incorporated, to ensure the future has fish. Since 2008, Mars, has invested more than $10m in research, builds, and community engagement as part of its coral restoration program. More than 285,000 coral fragments have already been planted and 19,000 reef stars have been installed, all using locally sourced materials.

For more information on Hope Reef, visit the Channel that Grows Coral on YouTube, ShebaHopeGrows.com and be sure to follow @ShebaHopeGrows on Instagram and Facebook, and @ShebaBrand on Twitter. Details on the full scale of the global program can be found in the global press release.

About the SHEBA® Brand
The SHEBA® brand knows that cat owners love cats for their independent spirits, personalities, and discerning palates. That's why the SHEBA® brand puts cats at the heart of everything it does, creating premium recipes with irresistible real meat, fish or poultry, no artificial flavors, and designed to entice cats' unique tastes and desires. The SHEBA® brand appreciates the relationship between cats and their owners and uses that understanding to celebrate and fuel their unique bond. Look for SHEBA® premium cat food and cat treats at retailers nationwide. For more information, visit www.sheba.com.

About The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy is a global conservation organization dedicated to conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends. Guided by science, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world's toughest challenges so that nature and people can thrive together. We are tackling climate change, conserving lands, waters and oceans at an unprecedented scale, providing food and water sustainably and helping make cities more sustainable. Working in 72 countries and territories: 38 by direct conservation impact and 34 through partners, we use a collaborative approach that engages local communities, governments, the private sector, and other partners. To learn more, visit www.nature.org or follow @nature_press on Twitter.

About Mars Petcare
Part of Mars, Incorporated, a family-owned business with more than a century of history making diverse products and offering services for people and the pets people love, the 85,000 Associates across 50+ countries in Mars Petcare are dedicated to one purpose: A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS™. With 85 years of experience, our portfolio of almost 50 brands serves the health and nutrition needs of the world's pets – including brands PEDIGREE^®, WHISKAS^®, ROYAL CANIN^®, NUTRO™, GREENIES™, SHEBA^®, CESAR^®, IAMS™ and EUKANUBA™ as well as the Waltham Petcare Science Institute which has advanced research in the nutrition and health of pets for over 50 years. Mars Petcare is also a leading veterinary health provider through an international network of over 2,000 pet hospitals and diagnostic services including BANFIELD™, BLUEPEARL™, VCA™, Linnaeus, AniCura and Antech. We're also active in innovation and technology for pets, with WISDOM PANEL™ genetic health screening and DNA testing for dogs, the WHISTLE™ GPS dog tracker, and LEAP VENTURE STUDIO accelerator and COMPANION FUND programs that drive innovation and disruption in the pet care industry. As a family business and guided by our principles, we are privileged with the flexibility to fight for what we believe in – and we choose to fight for: A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS.

About Mars, Incorporated
For more than a century, Mars, Incorporated has been driven by the belief that the world we want tomorrow starts with how we do business today. This idea is at the center of who we have always been as a global, family-owned business. Today, Mars is transforming, innovating and evolving in ways that affirm our commitment to making a positive impact on the world around us.   

Across our diverse and expanding portfolio of confectionery, food, and petcare products and services, we employ 133,000 dedicated Associates who are all moving in the same direction: forward. With $40 billion in annual sales, we produce some of the world's best-loved brands including DOVE®, EXTRA®, M&M's®, MILKY WAY®, SNICKERS®, TWIX®, ORBIT®, PEDIGREE®, ROYAL CANIN®, SKITTLES®, BEN'S ORIGINAL™, WHISKAS®, COCOAVIA®, and 5™; and take care of half of the world's pets through our pet health services AniCura, Banfield Pet Hospitals™, BluePearl®, Linnaeus, Pet Partners™, and VCA™.

We know we can only be truly successful if our partners and the communities in which we operate prosper as well. The Mars Five Principles — Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom — inspire our Associates to take action every day to help create a world tomorrow in which the planet, its people and pets can thrive. For more information about Mars, please visit mars.com.

For more information about Mars, please visit www.mars.com. Join us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.

¹ IPPC Special Report (2018): https://report.ipcc.ch/sr15/pdf/sr15_spm_final.pdf

SOURCE SHEBA Brand