PERHAM, MINN. — On April 27, NutriSource®, owned by Tuffy’s Pet Foods, announced the opening of a new wet pet food cannery inside Tuffy’s Treats Company’s facility in Delano, Minn. NutriSource invested $20 million in the cannery, which includes a 45,000-square-foot expansion and will create 45 permanent jobs. NutriSource’s cannery will allow Tuffy’s to expand its wet pet food manufacturing capabilities.

“Wet pet food manufacturing capacity in North America has struggled to keep up with the growing market demand for canned pet food,” said Mike Hamilton, director of commercialization at NutriSource. “Our investment in this new operation is a direct response to requests from distributors, retailers and customers who are seeking a more consistent and diverse supply of canned dog and cat foods. We are committed to our customers and excited to work with them to deliver more NutriSource products to our furry friends everywhere.”

The cannery is Green Globe Certified and boasts state-of-the-art x-ray and can inspection technology and a 3-retort sterilization system. According to NutriSource, the cannery can produce up to 300 13-oz, 5.5-oz and 3-oz steel and aluminum cans per minute, with production estimated to top 65 million cans annually.

Originally opened in 2020, Tuffy’s 174,000-square-foot facility features a safe environment for manufacturing pet food efficiently. The facility meets food safety regulations while also relying on sustainable operations to reduce the company’s environmental impact.

"NutriSource and Tuffy’s Treat Company have proven to be incredible additions to our community,” said Dale Graunke, mayor of Delano. “We are thrilled they continue to view Delano as an exceptional place to live, work and do business. This expansion is welcome news to our beautiful city and we look forward to a long and prosperous relationship with such a forward-thinking, purpose driven company.”

With the new cannery, NutriSource plans to launch new wet pet foods formulated with pet health and wellness in mind, which will be distributed to independent pet retailers.

Read more about pet food and treat processing on our Operations page.