KKR Invests in China’s Gambol Pet Group

Partnership to enhance Gambol’s ability to deliver high-quality pet
food worldwide

BEIJING & LIAOCHENG, CHINA–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Global investment firm KKR has invested in Gambol Pet Group (the
“Company” or “Gambol”), a leading provider of high-quality pet food
headquartered in Shandong Province, China.

Gambol and KKR are partnering to expand the Company’s production
capacity in key markets including China, Thailand, countries in Europe,
and the US, where it is currently the largest private-label provider of
pet treats to Walmart. Gambol further aims to leverage KKR’s experience
in food production and in implementing best practices in the area of
food safety and security to provide even greater pet nutrition solutions
to customers around the world.

Qin Hua, Chairman & CEO of Gambol, said, “High quality pet food is
critical to ensuring the health of pets. By partnering with KKR, we aim
to expand and provide healthy packaged pet food to customers both
overseas and in China. KKR will become a truly value-added partner to
Gambol with their deep expertise in the global pet sector, with Chinese
consumers, and in the area of food safety.”

Gambol is one of the largest pet food exporters in China, supplying
products to a broad customer base in Europe, Asia and North America. In
its local market, the Company’s “Myfoodie” pet food brand holds the #1
ranking in China’s pet treat category and is a leader in the dry food
category, according to China Feed Industry Association. The pet category
is one of the fastest-growing consumer sectors in China with a compound
annual growth rate of over 30% in the past few years, according to the
data from Goumin.com. However, the market is still fragmented and
under-developed, posing opportunities for players like Gambol with
differentiation in technology and product quality.

In addition, China’s pet food sector is still at a nascent stage
compared to other markets. According to Stratop Group, only 13% of
Chinese urban households have pet dogs. Meanwhile, more than 36% of
American households own dogs, according to the American Veterinary
Medical Association. In China, packaged pet food penetration is only
14%, compared to more than 90% in the US.

Chris Sun, Director at KKR China, said, “Gambol is well-positioned to
capture new opportunities in the pet food sector globally and in China
given Gambol’s extensive industry expertise, product innovation
capabilities and long-term commitment to producing safe, high- -quality
pet food. We look forward to working alongside this experienced and
capable management team to build a true industry leader in the emerging
pet market.”

KKR makes its investment from its China Growth Fund. Further details of
the transaction are not disclosed.

About Gambol

Headquartered in Liaocheng, Shandong Province in China, Gambol is one of
the largest pet food manufacturers in Asia with 6 facilities in China
and 1 facility in Thailand. Gambol provides a wide range of pet food
products including dry food, wet food, real meat jerky treats, rawhide
chew, dental bone etc. Through stringent food safety control through
supplier management, raw material test, processing control, finished
product test and after-sales traceability, Gambol achieves highest
industry quality standards and supplies to a broad customer base
worldwide, including US and Canada Walmart. Gambol was the one of the
largest pet food exporters in China in 2016.

Gambol sells pet food product in the China market through its “Myfoodie”
brand, through both online and traditional retail channels. Myfoodie
ranked #1 in the pet treat category and top 10 in all pet related
product categories. For additional information about Gambol, please
visit Company website at www.gambolpet.com

About KKR

KKR is a leading global investment firm that manages investments across
multiple asset classes including private equity, energy, infrastructure,
real estate, credit and hedge funds. KKR aims to generate attractive
investment returns by following a patient and disciplined investment
approach, employing world‐class people, and driving growth and value
creation at the asset level. KKR invests its own capital alongside its
partners’ capital and brings opportunities to others through its capital
markets business. References to KKR’s investments may include the
activities of its sponsored funds. For additional information about KKR
& Co. L.P. (NYSE:KKR), please visit KKR’s website at www.kkr.com and
on Twitter @KKR_Co.

Contacts

Media:
New Alliance Consulting International (For KKR
China):
New Alliance Consulting International
Ruby Lu, +86
10 5875 1660
ruby.lu@alliance.com.cn
or
For
KKR:
KKR (Asia)
Anita Davis, +852 3602 7335
anita.davis@kkr.com
or
New
Alliance Consulting International
Fanny Fang, +86 10 6580 9577
fanny@alliance.com.cn
or
KKR
(New York)
Kristi Huller, +1 212 230 9722
kristi.huller@kkr.com