VARGEÃO, BRAZIL — On Feb. 26, 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.

Kemin Nutrisurance has been working on expanding its Research and Exploration Services to help enhance product co-creation with its customers at every stage of pet food production. The company originally launched its Research and Exploration Services in July 2023 with the introduction of its first-ever wet pet food pilot plant. The new Innovation Center in Brazil builds on this, allowing Kemin Nutrisurance to provide quick and accurate solutions for its palatant and protein customers in South America, according to the company.

“Our first Innovation Center in South America will greatly strengthen our Research and Exploration Services in the region,” said V. Lucatelli, general manager – South America, Kemin Nutrisurance. “We can now offer customers a local laboratory to improve and evaluate the performance of current and future products, as well as improve cost efficiency, to bring top innovations at the speed the pet food industry demands.”

According to Kemin, the Innovation Center and spray-drying facility are just part of Kemin Nutrisurance’s continued growth in South America and Latin America. Through this expansion, the Vargeão site will supply the South American market, as well as support Kemin Nutrisurance’s palatant needs in Asia and Europe.

“With greater emphasis on Research and Development (R&D) support for our customers, we can utilize our data and analytics to fine-tune our products and services to find fast and accurate solutions that better serve the market,” said Jason Shelton, Ph.D., global vice president – R&D, Kemin Nutrisurance. “By bringing our Research and Exploration Services to the regional level through an Innovation Center, we can create a local customer experience that focuses on specific needs at the speed required by a rapidly evolving industry.”

The new Innovation Center and spray-drying facility were inaugurated with a ribbon cutting ceremony, attended by Kemin Nutrisurance leadership, including President Kimberly Nelson and Kemin Industries WorldWide Group President David Raveyre. The facility is currently open for customers in the Latin American pet food industry.

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