What we know about Purina’s new investment in Mexico

Nestlé Purina is investing CHF 200 million ($219.7M/€202.3M) in its pet food plant in Silao, located in the Mexican state of Guanajuato, to expand production capabilities and “enhance the ability to innovate and meet the nutritional needs of pets.”

The investment will push the plant’s annual production capacity to 50,000 tons of wet food and 285,000 tons of dry food. Purina produces 140 SKUs of dry products and 80 SKUs of wet food in this facility.

The capital injection is forecasted to create 94 new jobs in addition to the existing workforce of 600 people. 

As part of the investment, the company added a third wet food line and a fourth dry pet food line this May, with plans to increase production capacity immediately. 

The largest pet food plant in Latin America

Nestlé wants to capture the growth of the pet category in Latin America and make the Silao plant the largest pet food facility in the region.

“This expansion not only considers the increase in volume for the existing markets but also includes plans to supply products to 2 additional countries in the coming year,” a company spokesperson tells GlobalPETS. Furthermore, there are plans to expand to an additional 7 countries “in the future.”

Silao currently exports approximately 10% of its volume to 12 countries in Central America, the Caribbean, and some South American markets. 

A strategic hub

Laurent Freixe, Nestlé’s Chief Executive Officer of Zone Latin America, says that Mexico plays “a fundamental role” in their operations in Latin America.

“Mexico is at the heart of our growth strategy in the region, and we take pride in contributing to its development and success,” he adds.

Nestlé has invested over CHF 700 million ($769.3M/€707.9M) into the Silao facility over the past decade, including $100 million in 2022 to expand production capacity.