A look at new pet food and treat manufacturing plants completed in 2020 or scheduled for completion in the near future.
Now that every single space in a processing plant from the front door to the loading dock must be evaluated to protect employees from virus transmission, what a benefit it would be to start from scratch and design a new plant in this era of social distancing.
Flip through this slideshow to view some of the new facilities that opened in 2020 or are coming online in the near future. Read our article on new and upcoming facilities to hear about some of the pandemic-era considerations being made in both new and old pet food processing facilities.
Champion Petfoods NorthStar Kitchen includes three dry pet food production lines and includes a full, on-site distribution warehouse and logistics center, according to Champion. The facility is capable of producing up to 145 million kilograms (approximately 300 million lbs) of dry pet food annually. Dry pet food is the initial focus of the facility, but Champion has left room to expand its kibble production and add freeze-drying capabilities for pet food and treats in the future.
Processes: Dry pet food Location: Acheson, Alberta Completed: January 2020 Size: 426,000 square feet
BPI is a family-owned co-manufacturer of extruded pet foods based in Brainerd, Minn. The company produces more than 150 premium pet food products for domestic and international distribution. The business was founded by Mike Barrett in 1982 and is currently operated by his children, Sarah and Tom Barrett.
Processes: Extruded pet food Location: Little Falls, Minn. Completed: August 2020 Size: 160,000 square feet
Freshpet uses a propriety process to produce seven brands of pet food. The refrigerated pet food plant expansion includes the renovation of an existing 50,000-square-foot facility adjacent to the current production facility and a 90,000-square-foot addition.
Processes: Fresh, refrigerated pet food Location: Bethlehem, Pa. Completed: Fall 2020 Size: 140,000 square feet
Tuffy’s Pet Foods Inc. is a subsidiary of KLN Family Brands. Tuffy’s started in the mid-1960s in a single facility with 13 employees. Today, the pet food manufacturer employs 290 people. They produce NutriSource, PureVita and Natural Planet diets sold exclusively in the pet specialty channel, as well as Supreme, Tuffy’s and the Tuffy’s Gold brands. The new semi-moist treat manufacturing facility will initially feature two extrusion lines and six packaging lines, with room for expansion.
Processes: Extruded pet treats Location: Delano, Minn. Target completion: November 2020 Size: 173,000 square feet
Equipped with the latest processing solutions, including new air-drying technology, ZIWI expects its new Awatoto facility to double its current production capacity. The company currently manufactures pet food and treats at three plants in Tauranga, New Zealand, but said it plans to close those facilities once the Awatoto site is fully operational. ZIWI employees in Tauranga will be offered positions at the Awatoto facility.
Processes: Air-dried pet food & treats Location: Awatoto, New Zealand Target completion: Fall 2021 Size: 130,000 square feet
Saturn Petcare, headquartered in Bremen, Germany, is one of the largest private-label, pet food manufacturers in Europe and this is the company’s first US facility. The facility will produce wet pet food for cats and dogs in cans and aluminum trays. Established in 1987, Saturn Petcare manufactures more than 1,500 different varieties of wet and dry food products for pets as well as specialty products like multi-layer pâtés, snacks and cat milk.
Processes: Wet pet food Location: Terre Haute, Ind. Target completion: Winter 2021 Size: 350,000 square feet
Two Canadian, family-owned businesses, Groupe Inovo and Groupe Legault, are building a state-of-the-art pet food processing plant called Jupiter. The plant site is near the United States border and was chosen for its strategic location to enable exports to the United States. Groupe Inovo owns Nutri-Expert, which produces animal feeds, and Acti-Sol, which specializes in the production of natural fertilizers in addition to other companies. Groupe Legault oversees various companies, including Mondou, a leading retailer of pet food and accessories.
Processes: Dry dog and cat food Location: Drummondville, Quebec Target completion: Early 2021 Size: 121,760 square feet
The Eden factory will join Purina’s network of 21 existing manufacturing locations across the United States. Located along the Virgina border, this new factory in North Carolina will revitalize a former brewery and will sit on 1.300-plus acres. Purina plans to employ more than 300 people at this location by 2024. The company is striving to make the facility 100% powered by renewable electricity in the shortest practical timeframe.
Processes: Dry dog and cat food Location: Eden, N.C. Target completion: 2022 Size: 1.3 million square feet
When running at full capacity, Freshpet’s Texas facility will employ 400 people, almost doubling the company’s workforce. Freshpet said it will extend its environmental operational policies, which include zero waste-to-landfill and using 100% wind energy, to the Ennis facility. The first, 400,000-square-foot phase is slated to begin operations in fall of 2022. The second phase will add 200,000 square feet to the facility and will directly follow completion of the first phase.
Processes: Fresh, refrigerated pet food Location: Ennis, Texas Target completion for Phase One: Early 2021 Size: 400,000 square feet, plus 200,000 square feet in Phase Two
Take an inside look into Hill's Pet Nutrition's Tonganoxie facility.