LEXINGTON, Ky. — Scoular officially broke ground August 6 on its new manufacturing facility for freeze-dried pet food ingredients in Seward, Nebraska. The company announced plans along with a $50 million investment into the 105,000-sq.-ft. plant in March 2019.

The plant is expected to be up and running by fall of 2020, operated by an “indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of Scoular,” according to the company.

Scoular’s new freeze-dried facility will include a warehouse, cold storage for raw meat, freeze dryers and clean rooms to manufacture high-quality, safe pet food ingredients as the market for them continues to grow.

“We are continually identifying new ways to meet our customers’ needs and help solve their business requirements. This new facility reflects this commitment, as one of the first in the country to bring multiple phases of the freeze-drying manufacturing process under one roof for the pet food industry,” said Paul Maass, CEO of Scoular.

The ceremony featured Stephen Gray, president and CEO of Gray, the design firm tasked with engineering, architecture and construction of the facility, as well as Maass, Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts, Seward Mayor Josh Eickmeier and Jonathan Jank, president and CEO of Seward County Chamber and Development.

“We’re thrilled to be part of this exciting endeavor,” Gray said. “The state-of-the-art facility is sure to make a positive impact on the industry and local economy.”

A 126-year-old employee-owned company with more than $4 billion in sales, Scoular has more than 100 strategic offices, grain elevators and processing facilities in North America, South America and Asia. The company’s more than 1,000 employees are engaged in the business of buying, selling, storing, handling and processing grain and ingredients as well as managing transportation and logistics worldwide.

Read more about pet food processing operations on our Operations page.