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Arden Grange Super Premium Pet Food History

Arden Grange is situated in the countryside at Albourne, which is just off the A23, 9 miles north of Brighton.

The family-run business began in 1981 when the site was purchased by Graham and Wendy Stephens. Over a period of more than 20 years, considerable improvements have been made to the premises including the construction of a purpose-built office and warehouse.

The owners are renowned for their experience and expertise in the dog world, and have been breeding and showing their highly acclaimed Ardenburg German Shepherd Dogs for over 30 years. This knowledge, combined with the desire to provide superior pet nutrition led to the birth of Leander International Pet Foods Ltd and Leander International Kennels Ltd.

The kennels and cattery have been renovated and now enjoy an excellent reputation. Regular customers return time after time; impressed with the care and attention paid to their pets throughout their stay. The quarantine facilities were rebuilt to high specifications and far exceed the standards laid down by DEFRA.

Leander Pet Foods began as a wholesale company distributing pet products to smaller wholesalers, pet shops, kennels, catteries and vets. By 1992, Leander grew to be one of the largest pet food wholesalers in the South.

In September 1987, Leander International Pet Foods became the UK & Ireland distributor for an American super-premium pet food manufacturer. This was instrumental in the ongoing transformation of the UK pet food trade and contributed to the enormous growth in its markets.

After almost a decade of outstanding success in the distribution and marketing of these products, the market was sufficiently primed for the manufacturer to establish a UK base, and thus the distribution was transferred.

In ground-breaking tradition, Leander International were now in a position to market their own British-made super premium pet foods. The Arden Grange range was launched in 1996 and was the first product of its kind to be able to name human-grade fresh chicken as its prime ingredient.

In 1998, the Arden Grange Classic range was launched to compliment the existing products by offering the consumer superior nutrition at lower prices. As well as its expanding home market, Arden Grange is now being exported to many countries where high quality products are sought after.

After careful assessment of customer feedback, it became obvious by 2005 that there was a lot of confusion caused by having two ranges on offer (Arden Grange and Classic). The most common question being asked was “What’s the difference between the two?”

After much research, it was therefore decided that all existing products should be combined under the single super premium range to be known as Arden Grange. A consistent, modern and fresh brand image was developed for the re-launch of the cat products in November 2005 and the dog products in March 2006. The new packaging includes key benefit symbols on the front and reverse to help the purchaser identify the right product for their pet.

Within this overall re-vamp of the range and packaging, the product formulations were also examined to evaluate whether the already impressive nutritional credentials could be improved upon. The new Arden Grange range is based upon the original Arden Grange formulation, and fresh chicken remains within the recipe.

The entire Arden Grange range uses only the highest quality ingredients, is hypoallergenic and contains no artificial colourings, flavourings or preservatives. The products represent wholesome ingredients, superior nutrition, excellent palatability and visible results in the condition of the animal.

Arden Grange are opposed to animal testing. Our guarantee, together with our company policy, affirms we have not and never will fund any invasive research projects conducted in relation to the development or refinement of pet foods manufactured or sold by our company. Nor would we be party to any act that could be deemed harmful or injurious to animals. From now on, our Arden Grange “Not Tested on Animals Guarantee”

logo below will be prominently displayed on all our packaging and marketing materials.

In loving memory of Graham Stephens
27.12.40 - 10.11.09

Family friends and colleagues will mourn the loss of Graham Stephens, Managing Director of Arden Grange who lost his battle with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia at 3.30pm on Tuesday 10th November.

Husband to Wendy, co-founder of Arden Grange, father to Jon and Emma, and proud grandfather of Amelie, Graham will be missed by all who encountered him in his personal and professional life.

Whether it be regarding business matters or his deep interest in German Shepherds, Graham always exhibited a fair and balanced viewpoint.  Together with Wendy, he constantly used these qualities in an effort to achieve his dream of unity in the German Shepherd fraternity, education for future generations of Shepherd lovers, judges and exhibitors and, most importantly, mandatory health screening for these wonderful dogs that have been a large part of their lives for 43 years.

Graham met his illness with stoicism and courage throughout, always thinking positively and never wavering in his determination to beat his disease and return home.  He was determined to try and regain his strength for all the meetings and events he wished to attend both here and abroad.  He achieved his goals during the Summer and Autumn, spending a lot of time in Germany visiting close friends, the family German Shepherds, and enjoying a holiday in beautiful Bavaria. This was followed by attendance at the German Schutzhund Championships and the World Schutzhund Championships in October.
Graham was a man of integrity, a great leader, wise adviser and good friend who has left a very large gap in our hearts and lives. His greatest legacy is the family that he adored which more recently included son and daughter in-laws Terry and Anna.   The Arden Grange 'extended family' - were also very close to his heart. We will now continue, in the path he set, to try and ensure that he would have been equally as proud of us as we are of him.

Family and friends will say their final farewells at a service in West Sussex on Tuesday 24th November. On this day Arden Grange offices will be closed so please email any queries to enquiries@ardengrange.com or feel free to call us the following day.

If you wish to make a donation to a Charity on his behalf these are two that the family has chosen who would be very grateful for your generosity:

'The GSD Welfare Fund' - please send your donations to Julia O'Gorman, Arden Grange, London Road, Albourne, West Sussex BN6 9BJ who will forward them to the Charity.

'Graham Stephens Forget Me Not Fund' (which is part of Leukaemia Research) - their web address is www.lrf.org.uk/en/1/fmnfdonate.html and donations can be made online, by telephone or post.  Please remember to tick the Gift Aid box, which will add 28p for every £1 donated.

We would like to thank you for all the kind messages, cards and flowers that we have received, Graham would have been very touched by your support for his family.