KANSAS CITY, MO. — From June to December 2024, Pet Food Processing covered several announcements, expansions and investments in facilities and operations across the animal nutrition industry throughout the globe. As demonstrated by this recap, it’s apparent that pet food and treat manufacturers have slowed their operational investments, whereas industry suppliers have significantly ramped up expansions.

Read more on these operational expansions below. 

Manufacturers

On June 5, Instinct Pet Food cut the ribbon on its new Center of Excellence (CoE) in Lincoln, Neb., marking completion of phase one of the facility. The 100,000-square-foot facility aims to bring all of Instinct’s production capabilities in the city under one campus. Phase two of the facility is already underway, with completion expected in March 2025. Instinct estimates the completed CoE will increase its capacity three-fold, with freeze-dried capacity of 5.1 million lbs and high-pressure processing (HPP) capacity of 26 to 28 million lbs. 

International pet food manufacturer United Petfood acquired its first plant in the United States from Wellness Pet Company. Located in Mishawaka, Ind., the facility allows United Petfood to establish local production in the United States and represents a “pivotal step” for the company in advancing its presence in the market. 

In May, Mars Pet Food officially began operations at its new facility in Tianjin, China. According to the Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area (TEDA) the factory is one of Mars’ largest and most advanced pet food factories and required an investment of nearly 1 billion RMB ($137.7 million USD). Once the factory is fully operational, Mars estimates its annual production capacity will exceed 250,000 tons. Additionally, the company has plans to make additional investments to the facility, including the addition of a wet pet food production line. 

On July 30, Suziria Group announced that it had received a $2 million grant from the USAID Investment for Business Resilience Activity (IBR) to develop a new wet pet food facility in Kalush, Ukraine. According to terms of the grant, Suziria will use an additional $4.5 million through loans from Ukrainian banks and its own resources. With the construction of the new facility, the company aims to increase its capacity in Ukraine, create 130 new jobs and significantly reduce production costs. Suziria expects to begin exporting its wet pet foods to the European market in the next three years.

VICTOR Super Premium Pet Food, a Mid America Pet Food brand, gave an update that it has continued to make upgrades to its Mount Pleasant production facility. As of August, the brand had invested over $5 million into facility, team and processes. The upgrades include updates to food safety and testing procedures and production efficiency and capabilities, as well as the installation of automated systems. 

Across the pond, Purina invested £150 million (nearly $200 million) into its factory in Wisbech, England. The factory, which already produces more than 1 billion wet pet food meals a year, has started a multi-million-pound upgrade of its site which will continue through 2025. The goal of the upgrades is to modernize the technology and machinery on its production lines, improve energy efficiency and help reduce carbon emissions in the future. In addition to the factory’s upgrades, Purina expanded its team by recruiting 40 new operators and has plans to further train its existing employees. 

Toward the end of the year, Kormotech secured €40 million ($41.6 million USD) in funding from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to expand its wet pet food facility in Kėdainiai, Lithuania. The €63 million ($65.5 million USD) project will include the addition of four new production lines, and is scheduled to begin construction early this year. The new plant, which will expand Kormotech’s current production capabilities, is expected to complete construction by 2028. 

 

Suppliers

At the end of May, packaging company Sonoco Products Company held a grand opening for its new multi-million dollar, state-of-the-art technical and engineering center for metal packaging. The new facility will offer design support, advanced technical services, process development, engineering and training to its customers. Located in Ohio, the 11,000-square-foot facility includes modern laboratories, prototyping equipment, training rooms and collaborative spaces.

Enorm Biofactory announced the official opening of its new insect processing facility, dubbing it the “largest insect factory in northern Europe.” Construction on the facility began in 2022. The 236,806-square-foot facility specializes in transforming about 100 tons of black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) into 10,000 tons of insect meal for use in animal nutrition. 

High pressure processing (HPP) provider Hydro Pressure + Pack opened a new state-of-the-art facility, providing HPP services to pet food processors. Through its HPP facility, Hydro Pressure + Pack will serve as a vital partner to pet food processors in the through the Midwest and East Coast, supporting regional brands and meeting consumer demand for safe, high-quality pet nutrition.

Grain processor Viterra detailed its plan to construct a new grain facility in Dalhart, Texas. The facility will include a grain handling system and loop track served by Union Pacific Railroad. The new facility in Dalhart is expected to provide greater market access for producers and end users throughout Viterra’s supply chain. 

Later in the year, Viterra acquired five grain storage and handling sites from Cargill. In addition to these sites, the company also acquired a mobile ship loader in South Australia and western Victoria. The sites are part of Viterra’s broader plan to make the South Australian grain supply chain more efficient to better compete with interstate and international origins of the Black Sea, Canada, United States and South America.

Insect producer Innovafeed completed its third phase of expansion on its facility in Nesle, France, allowing it to ramp up capacity. The expansion increases the facility’s total size to over 592,015 square feet, as well as increases the company’s larval production capacity fivefold. Additionally, the expansion enhances Innovafeed’s insect rearing conditions through the implementation of automated and optimized production. With the completion of this expansion, the Nesle site is now the world’s largest insect production site, according to Innovafeed.

In Egypt, dsm-firmenich announced the opening of its new Animal Nutrition & Health premix and additives manufacturing plant. The plant will process a range of specialized animal nutrition products including vitamins, minerals and innovative feed additives. With an annual production capacity of 10,000 tons, the plant is designed to meet high standards in production efficiency, food safety, quality and environmental sustainability.

On Oct. 14, Handtmann opened its new West Coast office in Cypress, Calif. The expansion is a key milestone in the company’s mission to enhance customer support, accessibility and convenience. The office’s location in Southern California brings Handtmann’s services closer to its rapidly growing customer base in the West. The Cypress office provides training, technical services, parts support, testing and a showroom showcasing the company’s latest innovations.

Inspection, verification, testing and certification company SGS North America moved into a larger facility in New Jersey to offer enhanced testing services. The company’s state-of-the-art facility expands its capacity for food safety and quality assurance testing for North American food, pet food and nutraceutical markets. With this recent capacity expansion, SGS will offer customers access to a full range of services throughout its extensive laboratory network.

On Oct. 28, palatability specialist AFB International announced the opening of its new Asia Pacific regional headquarters and manufacturing facility in Samut Prakan, Thailand. The new facility will serve as AFB’s regional hub for its Asia Pacific operations with corporate offices, manufacturing, R&D and quality teams all under a single roof. According to the company, the facility will help enhance its operational efficiency, ensure a reliable supply chain, and provide faster delivery and service to help meet the demands of the pet food industry in Asia.

Across the globe, Anchor Ingredients unveiled its new transload and ingredient processing facility in Richmond, Ind. Construction on the facility originally began in June 2023, with Anchor committing a total of $40 million. The plant spans more than 20 acres and will allow the company to enhance its capabilities, offering bulk storage, climate-controlled warehouse space, safety stock management, grain origination, quality assurance testing and on-site processing services.

Speaking of ingredients, biotechnology insect producer Tebrio shared its plans for a new 968,752-square-foot facility, allowing it to meet rising demand for insect-based ingredients. The company raised $32.6 million through a new funding round, which it will use to expand production. The new facility is expected to produce more than 100,000 tons of product annually. Currently, Trebio operates a 37,674-square-foot plant that produces insect-based protein, fat, chitosan and other ingredients. 

Oberland, another insect processor, officially opened its new 108,000-square-foot commercial insect facility on Nov. 5. Located in Nova Scotia, the facility transforms BSFL into protein for use in animal nutrition, as well as to promote soil health. This new facility is estimated to divert 36,000 tons of pre-consumer waste from landfills to produce 3,500 tons of dry protein and 9,000 tons of frass annually. Additionally, the company received a loan agreement with Peritus Capital to help further scale its production through new equipment. 

Back in the United States, Oterra debuted its new state-of-the-art innovation, collaboration and production hub is Wisconsin. The 155,000-square-foot facility includes a US headquarters, innovation and application labs, and new manufacturing and logistics facilities. With the addition of the US hub, Oterra’s customers can work directly with the company’s team of regulatory and application experts to find the right natural color, develop new products and reformulate existing products within various industries, from food and beverage to pet food.  

Toward the end of the year, insect protein supplier Agroloop announced the opening of its new 139,931-square-foot automated protein production facility in Hungary. The $31.5 million facility represents the first industrial-scale insect protein processing plant in Hungary dedicated to animal feed production, according to Agroloop. It will use 120 tonnes of food byproducts to feed insect larvae, which will then be processed into 250 tonnes of protein meal, 50 tonnes of fat and 900 tonnes of organic fertilizer. 

 

Retailers

In Canada, Pet Valu opened its new 350,000-square-foot, LEED Gold certified distribution center in Surrey, British Columbia on Sept. 6. The new distribution center is three times the size of the company’s existing warehouse. The addition of this new facility is a key component of the company’s $100 million supply chain transformation providing additional growth and enhanced service to stores in Western Canada, according to the company.

Read about other operational expansions earlier in 2024 in our January to June 2024 facility recap. 

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