EDITOR'S NOTE: Updated on Jan. 4 with a statement from Nestle Purina PetCare.

Following construction of a pet food facility announced in 2020, Nestlé Purina Petcare may build another factory in Clermont County, Ohio, USA, the Cincinnati Business Courier reported. The potential new facility would produce wet pet foods, while the completed Williamsburg, Ohio facility will focus on dry pet food.

Purina PetCare has no definitive plan for the second plant property adjacent to its new factory site in Williamsburg, company representatives told Petfood Industry.

"Nestlé Purina continuously evaluates opportunities to support our growing business and better serve pets and families with high-quality and nutritious pet food," Purina's representative wrote in an email. "Our growth strategy consists of capacity expansions at existing factories, as well as building new facilities in strategic locations. A property adjacent to our new dry pet food facility in Williamsburg Township is one of the locations being evaluated."

At the Williamsburg dry pet food plant, Purina Petcare managers are working to staff the facility.

In late November, Purina submitted an application to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the new pet food manufacturing plant.

“The purpose of the proposed project is to support growing market needs in the Midwest pet food market,” according to the application. “Nestlé Purina has increased capacity at its current facilities; however, there is still a growing need to expand overall manufacturing capabilities to address demand in Midwest markets, many of which currently require wet pet food products to be shipped from facilities well beyond the region. Specifically, the proposed project would involve the construction of manufacturing buildings for the installation of multiple production lines that produce several sizes of packaged wet pet food…”

Purina started building dry pet food plant in 2020

In 2020, Purina announced its US$550 million investment to build a pet food production facility in Williamsburg Township. When operational, the plant with produce dry dog and cat food brands, including Purina Pro Plan, Purina ONE and Dog Chow. Purina planned to begin production in 2023.

The 1.2 million-square-foot facility is located in South Afton Industrial Park. Purina plans to employ more than 300 people at its new factory location by 2024. Many of these jobs will include professional staff, production operators, technical staff and engineers. The facility will be use robotics and digital tools and will include a training center to promote learning and development.  Purina committed the facility to send zero waste for disposal. Plant production processes will be designed to recover and reuse heat and water.

About Nestlé Purina PetCare

According to Petfood Industry’s Top Pet Food Companies Current Data, Nestlé Purina PetCare’s annual revenue in 2021 reached US$16,500,000,000. Nestlé Purina also operates pet food factories in 19 countries. Nestlé Purina claims three headquarters globally: St. Louis, Missouri, USA, for its North American and Latin American operations; Lausanne, Switzerland, in Europe; and Sydney, Australia, covering Asia, Oceania and Africa. Its parent company, Nestlé's world headquarters, is in Vevey, Switzerland.