Sheba
A premium cat-food brand known especially for wet-food products and portion-focused formats.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Sheba is a German cat-food brand owned and produced by Mars, Incorporated through its Mars Petcare business. The brand was introduced in Hamburg in 1982 and is associated primarily with wet cat food, including canned meals, trays, and portion-controlled products. Its name derives from the Arabic word šabiʿa, meaning to become sated or satisfied. Sheba has generally been positioned above mass-market cat-food offerings, emphasizing palatability, presentation, convenience, and an indulgent feeding experience for cats. The brand’s portfolio has included canned cat food, tray-based meals, and cat treats or complementary feeding products in some markets. Product availability, packaging, recipes, and naming have varied by country. Sheba’s most notable packaging development in the United States was the Perfect Portions range, introduced in the mid-2010s. The format divided a meal into two separate serving trays, allowing owners to serve individual portions without manually splitting the contents of a conventional can. This addressed a practical issue with earlier packaging, in which one can contained two servings that had to be separated by the consumer. The portioned format was priced somewhat higher than standard Sheba canned food. Sheba has also experienced market-specific changes in distribution. In January 2011, Mars Petcare US announced that the brand would be discontinued in the United States. The explanation cited economic conditions, Sheba Dinners’ relatively high price point, and import-related production costs that made the line difficult to sustain at the time. The brand returned to the U.S. market by July 2012, initially using pull-tab cans rather than the plastic trays previously sold there. That same year, actress Eva Longoria appeared in a U.S. promotional television campaign for Sheba. Plastic tray packaging returned through the Perfect Portions line in 2014. The brand’s history illustrates the way large pet-care companies manage premium positioning across national markets. Sheba has been retained as a distinct consumer-facing brand within Mars Petcare rather than being absorbed into another Mars pet-food label. Its product strategy has combined conventional wet-food formats with packaging innovations intended to make serving easier and more controlled. The brand remains active, although the exact product assortment and market presence depend on local Mars Petcare portfolios and retail distribution.
History
Sheba was introduced in Hamburg, Germany, in 1982 as a brand of canned cat food. The name is derived from the Arabic šabiʿa, a term associated with becoming sated or satisfied. From its beginning, the brand was oriented toward wet cat food and a more premium consumption experience rather than basic dry nutrition. Sheba later became part of Mars, Incorporated’s pet-care portfolio. Under Mars Petcare, the brand developed a range of wet-food formats whose exact names and recipes differed across national markets. Its products have included cans, trays, meals marketed under the Sheba Dinners name, and portion-oriented formats. The brand’s premium position has been supported by attention to serving presentation and by packaging intended to make feeding more convenient for owners. The United States market provides a documented example of Sheba’s distribution and portfolio management. In January 2011, Mars Petcare US announced that Sheba would be discontinued there. The company attributed the decision to economic factors, the high price of Sheba Dinners, and import challenges that made production prohibitively expensive relative to the expected growth of the U.S. customer base. The decision was not permanent: by July 2012, Sheba was available again in the United States, although the returning products used pull-tab cans rather than the earlier plastic trays. The 2012 U.S. relaunch was supported by a promotional television campaign featuring actress Eva Longoria. In the middle of 2014, Sheba again used plastic trays through the Perfect Portions line. The product divided one can’s equivalent contents into two separate serving trays, addressing the inconvenience of manually separating two servings from a conventional can. The format carried a somewhat higher price than standard Sheba canned food and represented a packaging-led extension of the brand’s premium positioning. Sheba remains an active Mars Petcare brand. Its story is characterized by international market management, premium wet-food positioning, and repeated adjustments to packaging and availability. Publicly documented information does not establish a single global product range, because Mars Petcare’s Sheba assortment and packaging have varied by market.
- 2014
Perfect Portions returns plastic tray packaging
[1]The Perfect Portions range uses two separate plastic trays to provide individually served portions.
- 2012
Sheba returns to the U.S. market
[1]Sheba becomes available again in the United States, initially in pull-tab cans.
- 2011
U.S. discontinuation is announced
[1]Mars Petcare US announces that Sheba will be withdrawn from the U.S. market because of economic and import-related production challenges.
- 1982
Sheba is introduced in Hamburg
[1]The German cat-food brand is introduced in Hamburg as a canned cat-food brand.
Products and positioning
Premium cat food focused on wet meals, palatability, indulgent presentation, and convenient serving formats.
Wet cat food
Sheba canned cat food
A core Sheba format consisting of wet cat food sold in cans. In the United States, the brand’s return in 2012 used pull-tab cans, replacing the plastic trays previously associated with the local assortment. Canned products have served as the foundation of Sheba’s premium wet-food positioning.
Wet cat food meals
Sheba Dinners
A Sheba meal line referenced in the brand’s U.S. market history. Sheba Dinners was described as having a loyal consumer following, but its relatively high price and import-related production economics contributed to the 2011 U.S. discontinuation decision.
Portion-controlled wet cat food · 2014
Sheba Perfect Portions
A tray-based wet-food format introduced in the mid-2010s. It separates the contents into two individual serving trays, removing the need for owners to divide a two-serving can manually. The format restored plastic tray packaging to the U.S. Sheba assortment and was priced somewhat above conventional canned food.
Marketing campaigns
- 2012Eva Longoria U.S. promotional television campaign
United States
Actress Eva Longoria represented Sheba in a promotional television campaign associated with the brand’s return to the U.S. market.
Outcome. Supported the brand’s U.S. relaunch after its announced 2011 discontinuation.
Brand decisions
2014
Launch Perfect PortionsProduct launchBackground
Conventional Sheba cans contained two servings that owners had to separate manually.
Action taken
Introduce two separate plastic serving trays so that each portion can be served independently.
Aftermath
The product restored tray packaging and was priced slightly higher than Sheba canned food.
2012
Re-enter the U.S. market with revised packagingStrategyBackground
Following the previous year’s discontinuation, Mars restored Sheba availability in the United States.
Action taken
Bring the brand back in pull-tab cans rather than the former plastic tray format.
Aftermath
Plastic tray packaging returned through the Perfect Portions line in 2014.
2011
Withdraw Sheba from the United StatesStrategyBackground
Mars Petcare US stated that economic conditions, Sheba Dinners’ high price point, and import challenges made production too expensive relative to anticipated U.S. customer growth.
Action taken
Announce that Sheba would be discontinued and would no longer be available for purchase in the United States.
Aftermath
The brand returned to the U.S. market by July 2012 with pull-tab cans.
Recent events
SHEBA launches Hope Reef restoration initiative[2]
Reported:
SHEBA launched the Hope Reef restoration initiative off the coast of Sulawesi, Indonesia, with a stated target of restoring more than 185,000 square meters of reefs worldwide by 2029.
Sources2 sources
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