Nestlé, the Swiss food multinational that owns Nestlé Purina PetCare, is investing €472 million (US$507 million) to open a pet food factory in Mantua, Italy, the country's Industry Minister Adolfo Urso told Reuters.
The 180,000-square-meter (1.9 million-square-foot) plant, located about 160 kilometers (100 miles) southeast of Milan, will produce wet pet food, is scheduled to be completed by 2027 and will employ 300 people, Urso's statement said.
Marco Travaglia, president and CEO of Nestlé’s business in Italy, also said in the statement that the decision to open the factory, which will also include a logistics hub, "recognizes the strategic role of Italy for Nestlé in this strongly developing sector."
According to Petfood Industry's Top Petfood Companies, Nestlé Purina PetCare remains a top player in the global pet care industry. Long a leader in the U.S. market, the company also operates pet food factories in 19 countries. Nestlé Purina claims three headquarters globally: St. Louis, Missouri, U.S., 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.
Between 2020 and 2025, Nestlé is on track to invest $2 billion in Purina's factory and capital expansion projects to enhance its manufacturing footprint. The company recently held its official opening of its newest pet food factory in Eden, North Carolina. Three years in the making, the $450 million, 1.3 million-square-foot operation has created more than 300 new positions. The Eden facility will produce a variety of Purina's pet food brands, including Purina Pro Plan, Purina ONE, Dog Chow, Puppy Chow, and more, the company told Petfood Industry.
The company's 24th factory is currently under construction in Williamsburg Township, Ohio, and is expected to be fully operational in the next 12 months. Announced in 2020, the US$550 million, 1.3 million-square-foot operation -- the first project Purina has constructed from the ground up since 1975 -- is equipped with the best innovation and thinking to make production and logistics as streamlined and efficient as possible, said the company.
