Kansas City, Missouri — January through June 2024, Pet Food Processing We covered several new facility announcements, expansions, and investments in operations across the pet nutrition industry. From manufacturers to suppliers and even consultancies, the industry continues to expand to meet the changing demands from pet owners.
For more information about these expansions, please see below.
Maker
New Zealand’s Riverland Foods started work this year on a $20 million pet food co-manufacturing facility in New Zealand, which opened in late March and will have the capacity to produce 30 million cans per year. The facility’s production capacity will cover a range of wet pet food formats, including mousse, pate and chunky gravy.
Australian fresh dog food manufacturer Lyka announced plans in January to establish a flagship manufacturing facility and distribution center. The company is investing $16 million in the business. The new facility will include new automated production lines and a distribution center, quadrupling the company’s production capacity.
Source: SchoolerFaced with increasing industry demand for freeze-dried pet food protein, Petsource by Scoular completed an expansion of its freeze-dried pet food and treats plant in Seward, Nebraska. The company invested $75 million in the expansion, adding 70,000 square feet to the plant. The expansion tripled Petsource’s number of freeze-drying machines and tripled the company’s overall production capacity. It also expanded ingredient processing and molding lines and added warehouse space.
General Mills announced in February its intention to build a new warehouse for its pet nutrition division, Blue Buffalo, in Olathe, Kansas. The facility will be about 730,000 square feet on 57 acres of land. General Mills expects the warehouse to increase the company’s sales by $370 million over the next 10 years, and it plans to reinvest up to $5 million into the facility.
Nepalese yak cheese chew manufacturer Durkha Dog Chew has announced that it will soon open its first commercial-scale manufacturing facility in Nepal. The facility will expand the company’s production capacity and provide greater control over supply, production, quality and consistency. Durkha says the factory has been built to scale with an eye on future growth.
Nestlé Purina Petcare announced details of its newest pet food manufacturing facility underway in Ohio in March. The 1.3 million-square-foot facility will produce Pro Plan One and Dog Chow brand dry food. It will feature an automated warehouse system, digital and automated production technology and a manufacturing experience center to educate visitors about Purina’s processes. Purina said the facility is expected to be up and running within 12 months.
Source: Münster Flour MillsMunster Milling completed construction of a vertically integrated, approximately 120,000 square foot pet food factory and warehouse in Denton, Texas, on March 14. The facility is equipped with 20 freeze-drying machines, enabling the company to significantly expand its production capacity for freeze-dried pet food products. The new plant also provides turnkey retail packaging and fresh meat processing capabilities that will enable Munster to develop and produce a variety of protein blends and nutritional profiles, including 100% freeze-dried meals, functional freeze-dried treats and toppings, and single-ingredient treat products for pets.
Canadian company Crump Group has announced plans to invest $85 million in the expansion of its premium dog treat factory, which currently produces Caledon Farms, Crumps’ Naturals and Dog Delights brands, to meet changing consumer demand for premium treats. The expansion will increase the plant’s production capacity and introduce cutting-edge technology that will help reduce Crump Group’s environmental impact.
Following the progress of its pet food plant in Ohio, Purina held the grand opening of its new plant in North Carolina on March 26. Purina said the celebration was the culmination of more than three years of development and an investment of more than $450 million to build Nestlé Purina’s first plant in North Carolina. The plant spans 1.3 million square feet, 80% of which is a repurposed former brewery, and features several state-of-the-art technologies that allow Purina to transform and enhance its overall production process. The plant also includes Purina’s first vertical dryer in a U.S. facility, as well as automated systems in the warehouse and freezer areas.
Source: Nestle Purina PetCareIn addition to the new facility in North Carolina, Purina also announced a $195 million expansion of its wet pet food plant in Jefferson, Wisconsin, that will be used to increase the plant’s production capacity by about 50 percent.
Nestlé also announced plans to invest approximately $221 million in the expansion of its production facility in Silao, southern Mexico. The expansion will add three production lines for wet formulas and four production lines for dry diets. Nestlé said these additions will make the Silao plant “the largest pet food factory in Latin America.”
Stampede Culinary Partners, Inc., a provider of value-added sous vide cooking solutions in North America, announced April 9 that it has expanded its facility with sous vide technology to provide high-quality cooked protein products in Canada. The new sous vide capabilities will be used for a variety of protein and alternative protein products, as well as premium pet food products.
Mars, Incorporated announced plans to invest more than €130 million (US$141.2 million) in its pet, confectionery and food manufacturing operations in France in 2024. Part of the investment will be dedicated to the company’s factories in Cambrai, Aimargues, Saint-Denis-de-L’Hôtel and Ernorsheim to support its iconic Pedigree® and Whiskas® brands, as well as its Royal Canin division. Funds will be used to increase production capacity at the facilities, as well as modernize and digitize processes aimed at reducing Mars’ environmental footprint.
In May, Butternut Box and Przybjerg broke ground on a new dog food factory in Poland. The 430,556-square-foot facility will produce fresh products and employ hundreds of people. The companies expect the plant to begin shipping products by mid-2025.
supplier
Picture: Parker Freeze-DriedParker Freeze Dry officially announced its move earlier this year to a new 130,000 square foot facility in South Dakota, featuring state-of-the-art equipment aimed at expanding the company’s freeze dryer production capacity.
GEA announced in January that it had begun operations at its new facility in Janesville, Wisconsin. The 85,000-square-foot facility represents a $20 million investment by the company. The facility’s primary production areas will be used for machinery and equipment manufacturing, repair and logistics.
Accredo Packaging, Inc. has invested $10 million to further expand its Sugar Land headquarters. This latest expansion marks the facility’s fourth expansion to date and adds 83,000 square feet of office space to the existing site, which also includes a 650,000 square foot campus that is fully powered by wind energy and 100% LEED certified.
Source: Kemin IndustriesIn February, Kemin Industries opened a new innovation center and second spray drying facility at its regional headquarters in Varghean, Santa Catarina. This makes the Kemin Nutrisurance facility the largest pet food manufacturing plant in Latin America in terms of production capacity for dry and liquid palatability additives, according to the company. The innovation center builds on Kemin Nutrisurance’s research and investigation services, enabling it to provide precise palatability solutions to customers in South America and support its business in Asia and Europe.
The Gericke Group celebrated the expansion of its manufacturing facility in Switzerland. According to the company, the expansion has allowed Gericke to increase production capacity and reduce lead times for equipment orders by more than a month. The facility has been expanded by 55% and now has a total area of 45,200 square feet to accommodate the increased demand for equipment such as air conveyors, mixers, feeders, sieves, lump breakers and other bulk material handling equipment.
Source: Sosland Publishing Co. / Kimberlie ClymaIn April, insect ingredient manufacturer Innovafeed opened the North American Insect Innovation Center (NAIIC). This pilot plant and innovation center is the French company’s first step into North America, and will result in a large-scale production facility for insect protein ingredients at a nearby site by 2026. NAIIC will source corn by-products from ADM and develop ingredients based on black fruit fly larvae (BSFL).
In late May, GEA broke ground on a 12,900-square-foot technology center for alternative proteins. Scheduled to open in 2025, the facility will develop industry-ready alternatives to meat, dairy, seafood and eggs. GEA aims to help manufacturers scale production of new plant-, microbial- and cell-based foods.
Mycoprotein manufacturer Ennifer has announced plans to build a $35.8 million food-grade mycoprotein manufacturing facility in Finland that will produce up to 3,000 tonnes per year of its PEKILO® ingredient, which provides solutions for the human food, pet food and aquafeed industries. Ennifer says the facility will be the world’s first commercial plant to convert by-product raw materials from the food industry into fungal-derived proteins.
consultant
CRB, a global provider of architecture, construction, engineering and consulting solutions to the food and beverage industry, has opened a new office in St. Louis. The company says the new office, adjacent to its previous location, emphasizes natural light, flexible and enhanced collaboration space and amenities that enhance the employee and customer experience.
BSM Partners expanded its global footprint in May with the opening of its first European office. The new office is located in Nantes, France, and is expected to further strengthen BSM Partners’ expertise. The company’s multidisciplinary team of PhDs, consumer scientists, engineers, psychologists, certified veterinarians and nutritionists have more than 550 years of combined experience.
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