KANSAS CITY, MO. — From January to June 2024, Pet Food Processing covered several new facility announcements, expansions and investments in operations across the pet nutrition industry. From manufacturers to suppliers and even consultancy firms, the industry continues to ramp up its operations to keep up with shifting demands from pet parents.

Read more on these operational expansions below. 

Manufacturers

New Zealand Riverland Foods Ltd began the year with plans for a $20 million co-manufacturing pet food facility in New Zealand. The facility subsequently opened later in March, touting a production capacity of 30 million cans annually. Capabilities at the facility span a variety of wet pet food formats, including mousses, pates and chunks-in gravy styles. 

Australian fresh dog food producer Lyka shared its plans to establish a flagship manufacturing facility and distribution center in January. The company has invested $16 million in the operation. The new facility will house new production lines complete with automated equipment and a distribution center to increase the company’s capacity fourfold.

Source: Scoular

Facing increased demand for freeze-dried pet food proteins from the industry, Petsource by Scoular completed an expansion of its freeze-dried pet food and treat plant in Seward, Neb. The company committed $75 million toward the expansion, adding an additional 70,000 square feet to the plant. The expansion involved tripling Petsource’s number of freeze dryers, therefore tripling the company’s overall capacity. It also included an expansion to raw processing and forming lines and additional warehouse space. 

In February, General Mills announced its intention to develop a new warehouse for its Blue Buffalo pet nutrition division in Olathe, Kan. The facility will span nearly 730,000 square feet and sit on 57 acres. General Mills anticipates that the warehouse will add $370 million in sales for the company over the next 10 years, and also plans to reinvest up to $5 million in the facility. 

Nepalese yak cheese chew producer Durkha Dog Chew detailed it would soon open its first commercial-scale manufacturing facility in Nepal. The facility is set to expand the company’s capacity and provide enhanced control over supply, production, quality and consistency. According to Durkha, the plant was built to scale for future growth. 

In March, Nestlé Purina PetCare shared details on the continued construction of its newest pet food manufacturing facility in Ohio. The 1.3 million-square-foot facility will produce dry formulas for its Pro Plan ONE and Dog Chow brands. It will include an automated warehousing system, digital and automation production technologies and a Manufacturing Experience Center, set to educate visitors on Purina’s processes. According to Purina, the facility is expected to be operational within 12 months.

Source: Muenster Milling Company

Muenster Milling completed a new vertically integrated, nearly 120,000-square-foot pet food facility and warehouse in Denton, Texas, on March 14. The facility touts 20 freeze dryers, allowing the company to significantly expand capacity for freeze-dried pet food products. The new plant is also equipped with turnkey retail packaging and raw meat processing capabilities through which Muenster is able to develop and produce a range of protein blends and nutritional profiles, including 100% freeze-dried meals, functional freeze-dried treats and toppers, and single-ingredient treat products for pets.

Canadian company The Crump Group shared its plans to invest $85 million to expand its premium dog treat facility. The facility currently produces Caledon Farms, Crumps’ Naturals and Dog Delights brands and will seek to meet evolving consumer demand for premium treats. The expansion is set to increase the facility’s production capacity and will include state-of-the-art technologies to help reduce The Crump Group’s environmental footprint. 

Coming off the heels of its progress on its Ohio pet food facility, Purina held a grand opening for its new facility in North Carolina on March 26. According to Purina, the celebration is a culmination of more than three years of development and more than $450 million in investments to bring the first Nestlé Purina facility into the state of North Carolina. The plant spans 1.3 million square feet, 80% of which is repurposed from a former brewery, and boasts several modern technological advancements to allow Purina to transform and enhance its overall production processes. The plant also includes Purina’s first-ever vertical dryer installed in a US facility, as well as automated systems in the warehousing and freezer areas.

Source: Nestlé Purina PetCare

In addition to its new facility in North Carolina, Purina also announced a $195 million expansion in its Jefferson, Wis.-based wet pet food facility. The investment will be used to expand the facility’s production capacity by nearly 50%.

Down south, the company also shared its plans to invest about $221 million to expand its production facility in Silao, Mexico. This expansion is set to add a third line for production of wet formulas and a fourth for dry diets. According to Nestlé, these additions will make the Silao plant “the largest for pet food in Latin America.”

Stampede Culinary Partners, Inc., a North American provider of value-added, sous-vide solutions, announced April 9 it has expanded its facility with the addition of sous-vide technology, allowing it to offer high-quality cooked protein products in Canada. The new sous-vide capabilities will be used for various protein and alternative protein products, as well as premium pet food products.

Mars, Incorporated announced plans to invest more than €130 million ($141.2 million USD) in its pet, confectionery and food manufacturing operations in France in 2024. Part of the investment will go toward the company’s factories in Cambrai, Aimargues, Saint-Denis-de-l’Hôtel and Ernolsheim, supporting its iconic PEDIGREE® and WHISKAS® brands, as well as its Royal Canin division. The funds will be used to increase the facilities’ production capacity, as well as modernize and digitalize its processes with the aim of reducing Mars’ ecological footprint. 

In May, Butternut Box and PsiBufet embarked on a project to build a new dog food facility in Poland. The facility will span 430,556 square feet, produce fresh formats and employ several hundred people. The companies estimate that products from the facility will begin shipping out by mid-2025. 

Suppliers

Source: Parker Freeze Dry

Parker Freeze Dry officially announced its move into a new 130,00-square-foot facility in South Dakota toward the beginning of the year. The facility is equipped with new state-of-the-art equipment aimed at expanding the company’s freeze dryer production capabilities. 

In January, GEA detailed that it began operations at its new facility in Janesville, Wis. The 85,000-square-foot facility was a $20 million investment by the company. The facility’s main production area is used for mechanical equipment fabrication, repair and logistics.

Accredo Packaging, Inc. invested $10 million to further expand its headquarters in Sugar Land. This latest expansion, representing the fourth buildout of the facility to date, adds 83,000 square feet of office space to the existing site, which also houses a 650,000-square-foot campus that is powered entirely by wind energy and is 100% LEED-certified.

Source: Kemin Industries

In February, Kemin Industries debuted its new Innovation Center and second spray-drying facility at its regional headquarters in Vargeão, Santa Catarina. According to the company, this makes the Kemin Nutrisurance location the largest pet food manufacturing plant in Latin American by volume capacity for dry and liquid palatants. The Innovation Center builds upon Kemin Nutrisurance’s Research and Exploration Services, allowing it to provide accurate palatant solutions to customers in South America and support its businesses in Asia and Europe.

Gericke Group celebrated an expansion of its manufacturing facility in Switzerland. Through the expansion, Gericke increased its production capacity and decreased lead times by more than one month for equipment orders, according to the company. The facility was expanded by 55% and now totals 45,200 square feet, allowing the company to meet increased demand for its equipment including pneumatic conveyors, mixers, feeders, sifters, lump breakers and other bulk material handling equipment.

Source: Sosland Publishing Co. / Kimberlie Clyma

In April, insect ingredient producer Innovafeed inaugurated its new North American Insect Innovation Center (NAIIC). The pilot plant and innovation center is the French company’s first step in its expansion into North America, the culmination of which will result in a large-scale production facility for insect protein ingredients on a neighboring site by 2026. The NAIIC will source corn byproducts from ADM as a feedstock for developing black soldier fly larvae (BSFL)-based ingredients.

Later in May, GEA broke ground on a 12,900-square-foot technology center for alternative proteins. The facility, expected to open in 2025, will develop industry-ready alternatives to meat, dairy, seafood and eggs. It will seek to support manufacturers by scaling up production of novel plant-based, microbial and cell-based foods. 

Mycoprotein producer Enifer announced its plans for a $35.8 million food-grade mycoprotein facility in Finland. It will produce up to 3,000 tons of the company’s PEKILO® ingredients annually, which offers solutions for the human food, pet food and aquafeed industries. According to Enifer, the facility will be the world’s first commercial plant to convert side stream raw materials from the food industry into a fungi-based protein.

Consultancies 

CRB, a global provider of architecture, construction, engineering and consulting solutions for the food and beverage industries, opened its new St. Louis office. Located adjacent to its previous site, the space emphasizes natural light, flexible and abundant collaboration space, and amenities to enhance the employee and client experience, the company stated.

In May, BSM Partners opened its first European office, expanding its footprint to a global scale. The new office is located in Nantes, France, and is expected to further support BSM Partners’ expertise. Combined, the firm’s multidisciplinary team of Ph.D.s, consumer scientists, engineers, psychologists, board-certified veterinarians and nutritionists offer more than 550 years of experience.

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