BARNSLEY, UNITED KINGDOM — Walker & Drake, a premium dog food manufacturer, announced it had completed a significant investment in a new cold-pressed production facility on May 30. The company invested £900,000 ($1.13 million USD) in the project.

Founded in 2019, Walker & Drake began trading during the first COVID-19 lockdown in 2020. The company specializes in cold-pressed dog foods and treats, leveraging low temperatures to offer soft, dense and complete-and-balanced formulas that are minimally processed and can support gut health. Walker & Drake currently offers a wide range of complete-and-balanced formulas, including for all life stages, small breeds and puppies, treats and accessories.

“Our cold-pressed dog food is a premium product focused on gut health, and we are constantly talking with our customers to understand what they want for their dogs,” said David Taylor, director, Walker & Drake. “The ability to develop new products in a dynamic fashion is fantastic, and the relationships we have already nurtured with our suppliers means we get the access to the best ingredients available at any time.

“The requirement for continuing growth driven expansion, and the increased complexities around exporting into Europe, meant we really had to take all production and packing in-house, and built something bespoke to us that future proofed our production capacity,” he added.

According to Walker & Drake, the company has experienced massive growth in their sales of cold-pressed dog food.

“We must be one of very few companies currently building a new pet food facility in the United Kingdom but we’re passionate about keeping our production here and having control over all aspects of it,” said Tim Matthews, sales director, Walker & Drake. “Just like the ingredients we use in our products we’ve sourced the equipment, fabrication and installation from UK companies wherever possible. In fact, apart from one item, all the major components, the design and installation team are from within a 25-mile radius of our site.”

Last year Walker & Drake moved to a larger area to provide it the space needed to construct the new facility and additional warehouse capacity.

“By starting with an empty space we’ve been able to create an efficient workflow from goods-in, through the production process to bagging, warehousing and then back out the door as finished product,” Matthews said.

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