Romania's pet food industry is experiencing significant growth with approximately €300 million in investments from domestic and international companies building new manufacturing facilities, including projects by Swiss company AktivDog, local group Transavia and Belgium's United Petfood.
- Romania's pet food sector has €300 million in investments in the pipeline for new manufacturing facilities.
- AktivDog (Switzerland) is building a new factory in Ocna Sibiului, focusing on gently cooked, preservative-free pet food.
- Transavia (local) is developing a €200 million pet food factory.
- United Petfood (Belgium) is constructing a second Romanian plant with a €35 million investment.
- These projects represent major expansion of Romania's manufacturing capacity and position in European pet food production.
With about €300 million (US$336 million) worth of investments in the pipeline, Romania’s pet food sector is set to increase its manufacturing capacities in the coming years as a number of domestic and foreign companies are injecting funds into new production facilities.
Most recently, Swiss company AktivDog announced plans to build a new pet food factory in Ocna Sibiului, a town in Romania’s central Sibiu County. The company has already acquired one hectare of land for the planned facility, according to Claudiu Predescu, the mayor of Ocna Sibiului, as reported by Romanian business daily Ziarul Financiar.
AktivDog operates a factory in Switzerland, opened in 2016 and fitted with a floorspace of around 900 sq. m. (9,700 sq. ft), according to data from the business.
“Our concept is as simple as it is fundamental: a return to our roots. We look back to a time before dry kibble or canned food with preservatives — a time when dog owners cooked for their pets themselves. We have adopted this very principle at AktivDog,” the Swiss company said in a statement. “Our recipes rely on high-quality meat and select regional ingredients. Gently cooked, they require absolutely no artificial preservatives. It is almost as if you were standing at the stove cooking for your dog yourself.”
Other pet food manufacturing projects in Romania include the development of a new €200 million pet food factory by local group Transavia and the construction of a second Romanian plant by Belgium’s United Petfood under an investment valued at around €35 million.
Kormotech overhauls wet pet food product range
Ukrainian pet food producer Kormotech has announced that Club 4 Paws, the company’s premium pet food brand for cats and dogs, has updated its wet food recipes and the shape of its food pieces to make them more appealing to pets.
“This update is the result of comprehensive work by our new product development team. Our main goal was to improve the taste and palatability of the diets,” said Polina Volotek, the brand manager of Club 4 Paws, as quoted in a statement. “We introduced two key innovations: irregularly shaped pieces that visually resemble real meat and a new yeast-based ingredient in the recipe. According to our internal testing, these changes improved overall food intake and made the product even more enjoyable for pets.”
The updated shape and recipe have been rolled out across all wet food products for adult cats and dogs, with the only exception being the kitten range, according to the statement.
The Ukrainian business specializes in wet and dry food for cats and dogs. Kormotech’s corporate strategy sets a target of increasing annual sales to approximately US$500 million by 2028.
Polish bird feed producer eyes investments amid rising sales
Poland’s leading bird feed producer, Turdus, is expanding its export sales, which currently represent as much as 82% of the company’s total sales, with Western European markets driving the manufacturer’s growth. Buoyed by its rising sales, Turdus is planning further investments to increase its production capacity, according to a senior company representative.
Turdus “sells in various European countries where people are crazy about animals — such as the Netherlands, Germany and all of Scandinavia. We entered the French market eight years ago and Italy a year ago,” Wojciech Schwartz, the Polish company’s chief executive and co-owner, told local news site Xyz.pl.
The business produces around 3,000 tons of feed per year. In 2025, Turdus reported about PLN 11 million (US$2.8 million) in revenue and a net profit of around PLN 1.1 million.
Schwartz said the Polish company is advancing plans to invest in expanding its production and storage facilities. Turdus also aims to increase its photovoltaic installation to generate renewable electricity for its operations, according to the CEO.
Established in 1989 and based in Żerków, in the country’s western part, the feed producer was established by the CEO’s father, local entrepreneur Krzysztof Schwartz.
