VEVEY, SWITZERLAND — Nestlé Hungária is ramping up pet food production in Bük, Hungary, as part of the company’s five-year development plan. As part of the final phase of this plan, Nestlé is establishing a new pet food plant in the area, which will produce more than 50,000 tons of pet food and create 130 jobs in the region.

“With today’s announcement, a five-year development period in the life of the Bük factory is coming to an end, during which we will implement a total investment worth HUF 300 billion, which can be considered the largest investment in the food industry in Hungary,” said Péter Noszek, managing director of Nestlé Hungária.

In 2020, Nestlé set out on a HUF 382 billion (approximately $1.07 billion USD) development plan to support its operations in Bük. Of that budget, HUF 325 billion (roughly $906.2 million USD) went toward the company’s Purina pet food manufacturing campus. The company invested HUF 90 billion (approximately $250.9 million USD) in its Hungarian pet food capabilities in 2023.

According to Noszek, roughly 200,000 tons of pet food were produced by the company in Hungary and exported to more than 50 countries in 2019. The addition of this new factory unit, along with other investments into its Purina business, is expected to double the company’s annual pet food capacity to 500,000 tons.

Construction on the new plant started in January, and Nestlé anticipates production lines will be installed later in 2024. Production is slated to start at the facility in 2025.

According to the company, Nestlé will continue to utilize domestic raw materials to support farmers and agricultural producers in Hungary. As of today, nearly half of all raw materials supplied to its operations in Bük are from Hungarian providers. Nestlé expects this ratio to increase following the completion of its new pet food processing plant in the area.

“Nestlé contributed not only to the quantitative growth of the Hungarian economy, but also to the qualitative one by constantly modernizing its activities and bringing significant industrial innovations to Hungary,” said Péter Szijjártó, minister of foreign affairs and trade. “The Hungarian government contributes to this investment by providing the necessary infrastructure for operation by modernizing and developing the road and water network, which also benefits the residents of the region.”

Nestlé currently employs 2,800 people across three factories and offices in Budapest, including its pet food operations.

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