Instinct invests US$200m in a new raw pet food facility to meet ‘explosive’ demand
USA — Instinct Pet Food has invested US$200 million in a new, sustainable raw pet food facility in Nebraska, which according to the company is expected to help meet the explosive consumer demand of raw pet food.
The facility, named the Center of Excellence will span more than 200,000 square feet, will be constructed in two phases, with phase one slated for completion at the end of 2023 and completion of phase two projected in 2025 or 2026.
The first US$100 million phase involves an expansion of its freeze-drying facility and the second US$100 million phase will include the expansion of frozen ingredient storage and grinding, mixing and blending operations. The facility will also bring high pressure processing (HPP) in-house to help ensure raw formulas are food safe and pathogen free.
Currently, Instinct operates four different facilities throughout Lincoln to develop its pet food products. The new facility will bring all aspects of raw manufacturing together at one location, eliminating 47 miles of inter-city travel, 20 touchpoints and 25 days of processing and manufacturing, and more than doubling total product output.
One of our biggest impacts we can make is through our manufacturing facilities. We are committed to making a difference and making big step changes — from manufacturing, to packaging, to sourcing
According to Instinct, the new Center of Excellence will be one of the few pet food manufacturing plants in the United States that are LEED-certified, denoting proficiency in today’s sustainable design, construction and operations standards.
“This is a major step in building out a sustainable future for our pets, people and planet,” said Gordon Dumesich, chief growth and marketing officer at Instinct. “One of our biggest impacts we can make is through our manufacturing facilities. We are committed to making a difference and making big step changes — from manufacturing, to packaging, to sourcing.”
The new sustainable facility is just one of Instinct’s recent steps toward more environmentally friendly initiatives. The pet food company is a member of the Pet Sustainability Coalition (PSC), and recently signed PSC’s Packaging Pledge along with four other pet food companies.
Liked this article? Subscribe to Food Business Africa News, our regular email newsletters with the latest news insights from Africa and the World’s food and agro industry. SUBSCRIBE HERE
