Great Lakes Feed & Energy: Our Mission and Evolution

At Great Lakes Feed & Energy (GLFE), our mission is to bridge the gap between the rendering industry and premium pet food ingredients by combining decades of industry experience, scientific analysis, and innovative processing technologies.

Our roots began in the feed ingredient industry, where we witnessed significant consolidation as packers vertically integrated their supply chains to remain competitive in an increasingly demanding marketplace. Throughout this evolution, GLFE partnered with rendering companies by operating transloading and blending facilities that supported international exports into the feed and aquaculture industries.

These partnerships provided us with an in-depth understanding of procurement, supply dynamics, and the factors that define ingredient quality. Through extensive sampling, testing, and analysis in our in-house wet laboratory, we developed a comprehensive database of production history and quality metrics by individual rendering facility. This knowledge enables us to procure raw materials based on proven quality and consistency rather than commodity pricing alone.

We leveraged this expertise to establish DeVout, our premium pet food ingredient division. DeVout is dedicated to transforming rendered animal by-products into refined, high-quality pet food ingredients through advanced reprocessing technologies. Utilizing particle separation, precision screening, density separation, milling, magnetic separation, aspiration, and other proprietary refining processes, we produce clean, consistent ingredients that pet food manufacturers can trust with confidence.

Our long-standing relationships within the aquaculture industry have also provided valuable insight into ingredient digestibility and nutritional performance. This experience has deepened our understanding of how rendered ingredients contribute to overall pet nutrition and kibble performance.

Working alongside pet food nutritionists, we analyze and share data on key quality indicators, including protein, fat, ash, peroxide value, amino acid profiles, and digestibility. This scientific approach allows our customers to make informed formulation decisions while maximizing both nutritional value and product consistency.

At GLFE, we believe that collaboration drives innovation. By working closely with our customers, sharing technical knowledge, and continually refining our processes, we strive to set a new standard for rendered ingredients.

Our commitment is simple: to produce the world’s highest-quality rendered pet food ingredients while delivering the consistency, transparency, and technical support our partners need to succeed.