Matrix Partners wins Hermes awards for pet packaging design
Bottom line
Matrix Partners has won two 2026 Hermes Creative Awards for pet food packaging work, earning a Platinum award for Olive Pup and a Gold award for Natoo Pet Foods. The recognition, reported by Pet Food Processing and tied to the international Hermes Creative Awards program, highlights packaging that Matrix says was built to express each brand’s positioning more clearly: Olive Pup’s Mediterranean-inspired premium identity, and Natoo’s Brazil-rooted, sustainability-forward story for the US pet specialty market. Natoo’s redesign also carries the brand’s “Better Pets. Better Planet” tagline and is part of a broader packaging rollout already moving into US retail. (petfoodprocessing.net)
Why it matters: For veterinary professionals and industry teams, the awards are less about creative prestige alone and more about where pet nutrition marketing is heading. Packaging is increasingly doing clinical-adjacent work at shelf, signaling ingredient quality, brand values, transparency, and sustainability to pet parents before they ever speak with a veterinarian. Natoo’s redesign is especially notable because it connects visual branding with verified sustainability positioning, including ClimatePartner certification and Pet Sustainability Coalition recognition, trends that may shape how premium nutrition brands compete for trust in clinics and specialty channels. (natoopetfoods.com)
What to watch: Watch for whether award-winning brand design translates into broader US distribution gains, stronger shelf differentiation, and more sustainability-led messaging across premium pet nutrition brands. (petfoodprocessing.net)
Matrix Partners has picked up two 2026 Hermes Creative Awards for pet brand packaging, winning Platinum for Olive Pup and Gold for Natoo Pet Foods. The awards, announced in recent trade coverage, recognize work in marketing, branding, and design, and put a spotlight on packaging as a strategic tool in premium pet nutrition rather than a purely aesthetic one. (petfoodprocessing.net)
The recognition builds on a longer run of brand work in pet food, particularly around Natoo’s US market development. Matrix previously supported Natoo’s US launch as the brand sought to expand beyond Brazil, where parent company PremieRpet has positioned itself as an early super-premium player. More recently, Natoo introduced a redesigned package system across its portfolio, using hand-drawn visuals tied to Brazilian biodiversity, differentiated dog and cat color palettes, and sustainability-centered messaging aimed at US specialty retail. (pet-insight.com)
According to Pet Food Processing, Matrix’s Platinum-winning Olive Pup packaging was designed to reflect a Mediterranean-inspired nutrition concept with a clean, premium look intended to carry through from online discovery to unboxing. Its Gold-winning Natoo redesign leaned into vibrant, nature-inspired visuals and a more refined premium presentation for the US market. The Natoo work also introduced the “Better Pets. Better Planet” tagline, reinforcing a brand identity that connects pet nutrition with environmental claims. (petfoodprocessing.net)
That sustainability angle has supporting context beyond the award announcement. Natoo says it is ClimatePartner certified, backed by PremieRpet’s solar-powered production infrastructure and broader environmental initiatives. The Pet Sustainability Coalition has also highlighted Natoo’s effort to move from company-level sustainability messaging to product-level, verified claims that can support retailer confidence and shopper understanding. In other words, the packaging refresh appears to be part of a larger commercial strategy, not just a visual update. (natoopetfoods.com)
Public expert commentary on the awards itself appears limited so far, but Matrix associate creative director Natalie Sackman said the goal was to create packaging that felt as “thoughtful and elevated” as the products and argued that both projects show how strategic design can bring brand positioning to life quickly for consumers. That framing matches a broader industry pattern: in crowded premium categories, packaging is being used to communicate sourcing, formulation philosophy, and sustainability credentials at a glance. (petfoodprocessing.net)
Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, this story sits upstream of the exam room but still matters. Pet parents increasingly encounter nutrition claims, sustainability promises, and premium cues first through packaging and digital merchandising. That can shape expectations before any clinical conversation begins. Brands that present a coherent story around quality and environmental responsibility may gain traction faster, especially in specialty channels, which means veterinary teams may see more questions about newer premium products, ingredient philosophies, and whether sustainability messaging aligns with nutritional merit. The practical takeaway is that packaging is becoming a stronger influence on client perception, even when the veterinarian remains the more trusted source on diet quality and appropriateness. (petfoodprocessing.net)
There’s also a channel-level implication. Natoo’s redesign was explicitly built to stand out in the US pet specialty market, suggesting that branding and packaging are central to how international and challenger brands enter a competitive nutrition landscape. If that approach works, more pet food companies may invest in packaging that blends premium aesthetics with substantiated sustainability claims, raising the bar for how products present themselves to both retailers and pet parents. (petfoodprocessing.net)
What to watch: The next signal will be whether these award-winning designs help drive measurable commercial outcomes, including expanded retail placement, stronger US awareness for Natoo, and more packaging-led differentiation across premium pet food brands. It’s also worth watching whether other brands follow Natoo’s lead in tying sustainability verification more directly to on-pack messaging. (petsustainability.org)