Origins

The history of MORANDO dates back to the late 1940s and early 1950s. According to company records, Enrico Riccardo Morando developed an interest in commercially prepared dog and cat food after encountering the concept during a trip through Europe. At that time, industrially produced pet food was largely unknown in Italy.2

After investigating these products, Morando worked to produce similar food domestically. In 1955, the company’s first pet food factory became operational, establishing MORANDO as one of the pioneers of Italy’s emerging industrial pet food sector.1

Development

Over subsequent decades, MORANDO expanded from an early domestic manufacturer into a larger producer serving both national and international markets. The company developed multiple brands and product lines tailored to various distribution channels and animal needs, while maintaining a focus on Italian production, research, and product development.1

The business has remained under family control. Today, the Morando family describes the enterprise as multigenerational, with the founder’s sons Walter and Giovanni and grandchildren Franco and Laura actively involved in the group’s leadership.

• Company: Morando S.p.A.
• Founded: 1955 as a pet food manufacturer; broader origins trace to the late 1940s
• Founder: Enrico Riccardo Morando
• Headquarters: Andezeno, Turin, Piedmont, Italy
• Industry: Pet food and animal nutrition
• Products: Dog food, cat food, horse feed, and related animal nutrition products
• Ownership: Family-owned Morando group
• Main Production Sites: Andezeno, Italy, and Molfetta, Italy1

The core business of MORANDO is animal nutrition, specifically dog and cat food. The portfolio includes dry food, wet food, pâté, specialized formulas, and products designed for different ages, sizes, lifestyles, and nutritional requirements.

Key product brands include:

• Migliorcane — dog food
• Migliorgatto — cat food
• Migliorcane Professional — professional/specialized dog food line
• Migliorgatto Professional — professional/specialized cat food line
• Miocane — dog food line
• Miogatto — cat food line
• UNICO — specialized single-protein products
• SuperPetFood — premium recipes incorporating ingredients described by MORANDO as superfoods12

The current catalogue features formulas for puppies, kittens, adult animals, sterilized pets, small dogs, and sensitive animals. Products are available in both dry and wet formats.3

MORANDO states that all products are manufactured in Italy. The company operates two principal production facilities:

• Andezeno, Piedmont — focuses on dry pet food and houses the company headquarters.
• Molfetta, Apulia — focuses primarily on wet and canned pet food.1

The company emphasizes vertically controlled Italian production and invests in manufacturing technology, quality control, and research and development. Corporate materials describe laboratories used for analyzing raw materials and finished products, alongside veterinary and scientific research activities.

MORANDO positions its products around several recurring themes:

• Italian Production: The company strongly emphasizes its Made in Italy identity and confirms domestic manufacturing.3
• Quality and Nutrition: MORANDO aims to develop complete and balanced foods that support the nutritional and overall well-being of companion animals.
• Research and Development: The company invests in product development and collaborates with veterinary and scientific experts to refine formulas.
• Variety: The portfolio spans conventional maintenance foods as well as formulas for specific ages, sizes, lifestyles, and dietary needs.3
• Animal Welfare: MORANDO states that it does not conduct or commission animal experiments for its products.1

The company website also highlights the absence of added colourings and preservatives in its product philosophy, though specific formulations should be verified as ingredients may vary by product.3

While best known for dog and cat food, the wider company also operates a horse food division. Morando Horse Food produces feed for various categories of horses, including breeding, maintenance, and sporting applications.1 This extends the company’s animal nutrition expertise beyond companion animals.

The name MORANDO also refers to the broader family business group. The Morando Family Company currently encompasses several distinct activities:

1. Morando Pet Food
2. Morando Horse Food
3. Montalbera — wine
4. Enrico Morando Vineyards and Wines
5. Morando Real Estate1

Consequently, MORANDO is not solely a pet food label but the name associated with a diversified Italian family enterprise.

MORANDO describes itself as an Italian company serving both national and international markets. Its products are distributed outside Italy, with MORANDO-branded items appearing in global pet food markets.

In the Philippines, government feed registration records list products manufactured by Morando S.p.A. in Italy, including Morando Professional and Migliorgatto lines. This indicates that MORANDO products have entered the Philippine market through local importation.1

The identity of MORANDO can be summarized as:

Italian heritage + family ownership + pet nutrition + domestic manufacturing + research and innovation.

Rather than positioning itself exclusively as a luxury brand, MORANDO operates across multiple market segments, ranging from everyday grocery products to premium and specialized formulas. Its long history is central to its brand positioning, with the company portraying itself as a pioneer in establishing industrial pet food in Italy.1

A distinctive characteristic of MORANDO is its historical connection to the development of Italy’s pet food industry. The company traces its origins to a period when ready-made pet food was not yet established in the Italian market. The founder’s decision to investigate and manufacture these products helped create an early domestic pet food business.2

More than seven decades later, MORANDO continues to operate as an Italian family business, combining traditional corporate heritage with modern manufacturing, research, and a diversified portfolio of pet food formulas.1

There is a separate Italian industrial machinery business historically known as Morando, which was associated with brick-making machinery and later Rieter. This article refers specifically to MORANDO S.p.A., the Italian pet food company.4

1. Morando Corporate
2. MORANDO — о компании, корм для собак и кошек | Morando.com.ua
3. Archivi Prodotti – Morando
4. [RW