C&D Foods, the pet food division of ABP Food Group, will invest €48 million (US$52.3 million) into its flagship facility at Edgeworthstown, Longford, Ireland.
According to the company, the investment, which includes the creation of 100 new roles in engineering, operations, supply chain and quality assurance, will increase the site’s production capacity by 25%.
The investment, which is supported by Enterprise Ireland, will result in an extension of the building along with the creation of additional state-of-the-art automated multi-packing and pouch filling lines using the most sustainable innovations available.
C&D said this latest investment at Edgeworthstown brings the total invested by ABP at the plant to €118 million since 2006. This is in addition to a significant investment by ABP in C&D sites across Europe including production facilities in the UK, France, Holland, Denmark and Austria.
“This is an exciting and significant step forward for our business," said Colm Dore, managing director, C&D Foods. "We are seeing a trend across Europe where consumers are favoring pouched pet food for smaller companion animals, and we are in prime position to continue to capitalize on the growing demand for these types of products.
The investment will also allow the company to continue to meet growing demand for pet food, said Dore. The company said in terms of growth, in 2023, one in four households across Europe own either a cat or a dog, with over 231 million of these pets now living in Europe.
"This investment will enable the company to maintain its position at the forefront of the pet food market while also leading to the creation of new high skilled jobs and positive economic development in our local community," added Dore.
According to Petfood Industry’s Top Companies Current Data, C&D Foods is among the leading European manufacturers of private-label pet food, producing upward of 675,000 metric tons per year in a range of formats.
In 2021 C&D announced a €60 million contract with Donegal-based packaging company ProAmpac in Gweedore. ProAmpac is now a strategic supplier of pet food pouches for C&D operations across Europe. Both parties are currently working on the development of more sustainable pet food pouch packaging including recyclable options.
