As part of an expansion drive, French pet food producer Natura Plus Ultra Pet Food increased the production space of its factory in Estillac, in the country’s southwest, in 2021. The investment, resulting in a doubling from 4,000 square meters (43,055 square feet) to 8,000 square meters (86,110 square feet), supports the company’s plans to boost its sales in the coming years and establish a foothold in a number of Western European markets.
Matthieu Wincker, president and founder of Natura Plus Ultra Pet Food, said the company offers a wide range of pet food for cats and dogs, and aims to accelerate its growth next year owing to the expansion in Estillac.
“We offer our products directly to consumers, as we don’t sell our factory’s output to retail chains or distributors,” Wincker said. “We have been developing our brand, Ultra Premium Direct, since 2014, and we currently have about 90,000 subscribers in France whose pets we feed.”
Goal to grow pet food sales
Natura Plus Ultra Pet Food is expecting sales of about €33 million (US$37.4 million) for 2021, and the company’s objective is to increase this figure by 50% next year, according to its president. “By 2025, we want to post annual sales of €150 million, and we believe that, with our new shareholder, our expansion will accelerate in the coming years,” Wincker said.
Last May, France-based private equity and venture capital firm Eurazeo injected about €68 million (US$77.1 million) into the pet food business, providing Natura Plus Ultra Pet Food with funds to finance its investments and ramp up the company’s manufacturing capacities.
Expansion to German and Italian pet food markets
“In 2022, we plan to add new markets to our portfolio, and start offering our services in Germany and Italy. We will supply our factory’s output also to these two markets,” Wincker said. “To secure our storage capacities in Germany and Italy, we will begin by signing contracts with local logistics companies that will act as our subcontractors. At a later date, we could invest in our own local storage facilities there.”
Asked about the French producer’s other plans for next year, Wincker said they include launching an innovative range of freeze-dried pet food products.
