Catcrew launches to chase Italy's overlooked cat-food market

Vivaio Ventures has launched Catcrew, a direct-to-consumer cat food brand built around a gap in the Italian pet market: while challenger brands have crowded into dog food, the cat segment has stayed largely static, despite the country's 11 million cats outnumbering its 9 million dogs.

Co-founded by Luca Gervasi and inspired by his cat, Belen, the brand pairs his following among Italian cat owners with recipes developed by veterinarian Alessandra Calini. The food leans on a high percentage of meat and natural, traceable ingredients across both wet food and kibble.

The range spans single-protein fresh recipes — beef, trout and pork among them — alongside a "Rich Fillets" wet-food line that pairs proteins such as turkey, trout and duck with functional botanicals including valerian, echinacea and catnip. Life-stage is built in too, with dedicated kitten formats like Fresh Beef Kitten and chicken-and-liver fillets sitting beside the adult range.

The commercial model is subscription-first. Customers build a personalised monthly box sized to their cat's weight, age and daily needs and validated by the brand's vets, choosing flavours while Catcrew handles the reordering. Boxes can be paused or cancelled at any time, and individual products are available without a subscription.

Catcrew is available now at catcrew.it.