Matrix Partners wins two Hermes awards for pet packaging
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Matrix Partners, a Chicago-based pet industry marketing agency, has won two 2025 Hermes Creative Awards for packaging design work tied to Olive Pup and Natoo Pet Foods, according to Pet Age and Matrix Partners’ own social channels. The Hermes program, run by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals, said its 2025 competition drew more than 6,000 entries across advertising, branding, publications, and related categories. Matrix Partners specializes in branding, packaging, PR, and trade support for pet brands, and its recent portfolio work has included helping Natoo build visibility in the U.S. market. (hermesawards.com)
Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, this is less about the award itself and more about what it signals in the pet marketplace: packaging and brand storytelling continue to shape how pet parents evaluate nutrition, sustainability, and product credibility before they ever ask a veterinary team for guidance. That’s especially relevant for brands like Natoo, which has emphasized evidence-based nutrition and more visible sustainability claims on-pack, and for newer premium-positioned brands like Olive Pup, which leans on Mediterranean-style nutrition and sustainability messaging. As shelf competition intensifies, clinics may see more questions from pet parents influenced by branding cues as much as by formulation claims. (petfoodprocessing.net)
What to watch: Watch for whether these award-winning packaging systems translate into broader retail expansion, stronger sell-through, or more consumer education claims that veterinary teams may need to help contextualize. (petfoodprocessing.net)
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Matrix Partners has picked up two 2025 Hermes Creative Awards for pet brand packaging, adding another set of design honors to the Chicago agency’s track record in the pet category. The recognition centers on packaging work for Olive Pup and Natoo Pet Foods, according to Pet Age and Matrix Partners’ LinkedIn announcement. Hermes Creative Awards said the 2025 program attracted more than 6,000 entries from the U.S., Canada, and 30 other countries, with winners selected across more than 200 categories. (linkedin.com)
The win fits a longer pattern for Matrix Partners, which has focused exclusively on pet brands for decades and has previously been recognized by both Hermes and GDUSA for packaging and creative work. The firm describes itself as a pet-focused agency founded in 1987, with services spanning brand strategy, packaging, social media, influencer marketing, PR, distributor support, and trade show materials. Earlier coverage also shows the company has used packaging awards as a proof point in its positioning to pet food and pet product clients. (linkedin.com)
Natoo is a particularly relevant client in this context because Matrix’s relationship with the brand has been tied to U.S. market development. In 2023, Matrix was brought on to help grow awareness for Natoo, a brand from Brazil-based PremieRpet, through influencer marketing, trade PR, sales materials, and distributor support. Matrix later said its work for Natoo’s U.S. debut generated substantial media and influencer impressions, and separate industry coverage this year highlighted the agency’s award-winning design for a Natoo influencer welcome box. (petfoodprocessing.net)
Natoo has also been pushing harder on sustainability messaging, which makes packaging especially strategic. In March 2026, the brand said it was moving environmental commitments into verified product-level claims on packaging, including carbon-footprint measurement, third-party certifications, recyclability improvements, and plastic recovery efforts. That suggests packaging is doing more than attracting attention on shelf; it’s becoming a vehicle for communicating substantiated environmental positioning to retailers and pet parents alike. (petfoodprocessing.net)
Olive Pup appears to occupy a different, but equally premium, lane. The brand markets Mediterranean-inspired dog nutrition, olive oil inclusion, freeze-dried raw ingredients, and sustainability-minded sourcing and packaging reduction. While public reporting on the specific award submission is limited, the brand’s own positioning shows why packaging would matter: Olive Pup is selling a differentiated nutrition story that depends heavily on visual identity and clear consumer communication. That makes award recognition for packaging design commercially meaningful even if it doesn’t change product formulation or distribution on its own. (olivepup.com)
Direct outside expert reaction to this specific Hermes win was limited in publicly available reporting, but industry coverage around Matrix’s other recent awards has emphasized the same theme: packaging is increasingly treated as a strategic brand asset, not just a container. Matrix’s own recent work has spanned influencer kits, social content, trade-show support, and packaging, reflecting how pet brands now build integrated launch programs around visual consistency and consumer engagement. That’s an industry signal in itself. (petfoodprocessing.net)
Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, the practical takeaway is that premium pet food brands are investing more in packaging as a clinical-adjacent communication tool. Claims around sustainability, ingredient quality, feeding philosophy, and lifestyle fit often reach pet parents first through the package, not through a veterinary conversation. That can shape expectations before a client asks whether a topper, treat, or complete diet is appropriate for a pet’s health status. In other words, strong packaging can accelerate trial and brand trust, but it can also increase the need for veterinary teams to separate appealing positioning from nutritional suitability and evidence. (petfoodprocessing.net)
What to watch: The next step is whether these design wins help Olive Pup and Natoo deepen retail placement, broaden U.S. distribution, or expand on-pack claims and consumer education efforts; if they do, veterinary teams may see more client questions tied to premium branding, sustainability language, and niche feeding philosophies over the next 12 months. (petfoodprocessing.net)