Nestle Purina Petcare’s Pet Food Manufacturing Facility, Ohio

Nestlé Purina Petcare is developing a new pet food factory in Williamsburg Township, Ohio, US.

The Ohio facility will involve an investment of $550m. Credit: Nestle Purina Petcare Company.

The new Ohio manufacturing facility will be Nestlé Purina’s first factory to be built from the ground up since 1975. Credit: Nestle Purina Petcare Company.

Nestlé Purina introduced the world’s first recyclable retort pouch for wet pet food in September 2020. Credit: Nestlé Purina Petcare Company.

Nestlé Purina PetCare announced its plan to build a new pet food manufacturing facility in Williamsburg Township, Ohio, US, to meet the rising demand for its pet foods, in October 2020.

The project, which will add to the food manufacturing ecosystem of the Cincinnati region, will involve an estimated investment of $550m and will be supported by The Ohio Development Services Agency through a Job Creation Tax Credit.

The investment in the new factory is a part of the company’s broader growth plan that also includes a wet pet food factory and distribution centre in Hartwell, Georgia, and a dry pet food manufacturing factory in North Carolina.

The new manufacturing facility in Ohio is expected to be operational in 2023. The company will employ more than 300 individuals at the new facility by 2024.

Nestlé Purina Petcare’s new factory location

The new pet food factory will be situated in South Afton Industrial Park, a 242-acre business park located in Clermont County, Williamsburg Township. It will be the company’s first new facility built from the ground up since 1975 and will join the company’s network of 21 existing manufacturing locations across the US.

Nestlé Purina Petcare’s new Ohio factory details

Covering an area of 1.2 million sqaured feet, the new facility will produce the company’s dry dog and cat food brands such as Purina Pro Plan, Purina ONE, and Dog Chow. Its design will be drawn from the innovative Nestlé facilities across the globe and will incorporate the company’s safety standards.

The new facility will be the company’s most technologically advanced pet food factory, featuring robotics, innovative digital tools, and a training centre for learning and development.  The company aims to completely power the facility by renewable electricity, which is in line with its goal to eliminate environmental impact from operations by 2030.

Sustainability features implemented by Nestlé Purina

Nestlé Purina has reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 19% per tonne of production since 2007 and improved the water efficiency at its factories by more than 20%. Its new manufacturing facility in Hartwell was designed for improved water conservancy. The company has achieved zero waste for disposal in all its manufacturing operations.

Approximately 80% of the company’s packaging in the US is recyclable while the company commits to making 100% of its packaging either recyclable or reusable by 2025. The wet food canned products are available in recyclable packages made of steel or aluminium.

The company introduced its first recyclable flexible pouch for its Felix wet pet food in September 2020.

Nestlé Purina’s product portfolio

Nestlé Purina offers globally recognised brands such as Purina Pro Plan, Purina ONE, Fancy Feast, Friskies, Dog Chow, and Beneful. It provides a wide variety of products to meet the unique requirements of dogs and cats, including wet food, dry food, grain-free, natural food, puppy food, kitten food, senior food, high protein, healthy weight, small breed, and large breed.

The product range in the cat litter offering includes Tidy Cats^® Lightweight Free & Clean^® Unscented Cat Litter, Tidy Cats^® Lightweight with Glade^® Clean Blossoms^™ Cat Litter, Tidy Cats^® Lightweight 24/7 Performance^® Cat Litter.

Other innovative products include Purely Fancy Feast^® Filets Natural White Meat Chicken Cat Treats, and Busy with Beggin’^® Twist’d Chew Treats.

Marketing commentary on Nestlé Purina

Based in the US, Nestlé Purina PetCare is a pet food manufacturing subsidiary of Nestlé. The subsidiary has been promoting pet care through its scientific research, its products and providing support to pet-related organisations.

The company includes 3,300 employees across the state of Ohio and operates in Marysville, Solon, Brecksville, Cleveland, and Zanesville spanning Nestlé USA, Nestlé Professional, Nestlé Foodservice, and Nestlé Purina operations.

Nestlé Purina is present in more than 70 countries and employs more than 18,000 people and 400 scientists globally.