Turkish pet food manufacturer Hermos Pet Food is planning to open a new production facility next year and double its output capacity amid an increasing demand for the company’s products in numerous foreign markets, according to senior company representatives.
The producer’s expansion plans are part of a larger trend, with numerous Turkish pet food makers reporting higher export sales for 2020. Last year, the country’s cat and dog food exports reached a total of US$176.2 million, which represented an increase of 11.8% over 2019, according to the information obtained by local news agency Anadolu Agency.
Plans to boost pet food production capacity
Gizem Tuğrul, sales and marketing manager of Hermos Pet Food, said the company’s factory in Turkey’s western part had the capacity to make about 50,000 tons of cat and dog food per year. The plant has a total area of 13,500 sq. meters (145,300 sq. ft), she said.
“Currently, production activities are carried out with the use of one production line. However, we want to open a second production line and double our capacity in 2022,” Tuğrul said, adding that the pet food business exports its output to about 30 foreign markets.
The company did not disclose the value of the forthcoming investment.
Pet food products incorporate fresh meat
Hermos Pet Food specializes in dry cat and dog food products, and some of the company's brands include Klicker, Benefit, Mystic, Myfood, Pawpaw and Cuddy. The Turkish firm says its production facility was the first pet food factory in the country to use fresh meat injection system technology in its operations. Hermos also claims to be the country’s first pet food producer to make grain-free pet food.
Hermos Pet Food’s flagship dry cat food is part of the Mystic brand. l Courtesy of Hermos Pet Food
The company operates its factory in the Salihli organized industrial zone in Turkey’s Aegean region. The production facility is ISO 9001, 14001, 22000, GMP and BRC certified. Production activities at the plant began in February 2017.
In addition to Hermos Pet Food, the Salihli zone hosts the factories of other pet food producers, including Lider Petfood and Effeffe Pet Food.
