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Royal Canin bets on Korea as aging pet market expands

Published: 01 May. 2026, 17:51

Cecile Coutens, CEO of pet food manufacturer Royal Canin, speaks at the 2026 Vet Symposium in Montpellier, France, on April 28. [ROYAL CANIN]

MONTPELLIER, FRANCE — As pet ownership grows in Korea, the market for products tailored to their later years is emerging as a major growth area, according to Cecile Coutens, CEO of pet food manufacturer Royal Canin.

“Asia-Pacific has strong growth potential in the pet market, and Korea in particular is seeing rapid aging among companion animals,” Coutens said in an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo at the 2026 Vet Symposium in Montpellier, France.

She noted that “as the share of older pets rises but as owners grow younger, interest in ‘healthy aging’ is expanding.”

The shift is already visible in data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, which shows that about 1.15 million of the country’s 2.75 million pet dogs were aged 9 or older as of 2021 — roughly four in 10.

That demographic change is reshaping the industry. Royal Canin has been investing heavily in nutritional research tailored to specific breeds and life stages, with a particular focus on older animals, according to Coutens.

“In an era of aging populations, it is becoming more important to also accept the aging of pets as natural and to find ways to live healthily alongside them,” Coutens said. “Based on more than 500 ingredient formulations, we are developing complex therapeutic diets that can simultaneously manage conditions such as gastrointestinal and skin diseases.”

The company is also moving toward what it describes as “hyperpersonalization,” or the customization of products to the characteristics of each pet.

Cecile Coutens, CEO of Royal Canin, speaks during an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo on the sidelines of the 2026 Vet Symposium in Montpellier, France, on April 28. [ROYAL CANIN]

“We plan to develop programs such as tailored food for individual dogs and cats, depending on market demand,” she said. “By closely analyzing ‘pet-mographics’ in each country, we will continue to refine existing products and expand areas where further individualization is possible.”

Korea is central to that strategy. Royal Canin opened a production facility in Gimje, North Jeolla, in 2018 with an investment of about 96 billion won ($70 million).

The plant produces more than 60,000 tons of pet food annually, about 80 percent of which is exported to 10 countries across the Asia-Pacific region, including Japan and Australia.

The company is now preparing to expand further. A second plant, backed by an additional 290 billion won investment, is under construction and scheduled for completion next year.

“Korea is an attractive investment destination where stable production is possible, and it offers strong geographic advantages as a manufacturing hub,” Coutens said. “Once the second plant is completed, we expect both our production capacity in Korea and the number of export destinations to more than double.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY NOH YU-RIM [[email protected]]