From China to Australia: Pet players expand their production footprints

Companies are scaling their operations to meet demand, improve supply chain efficiency and strengthen their presence in strategic markets. GlobalPETS has the details. 

BEWITAL 

German agribusiness firm BEWITAL has expanded its production footprint in China by opening a new facility in Weihai (800 km from Beijing) dedicated to producing wet pet food for the local market. Its pet food business includes the brands BELCANDO for dogs and Leonardo for cats. 

The facility features modern production systems and a high degree of automation. The firm, headquartered in Südlohn-Oeding, says it also intends to offer products manufactured in Germany in China wherever regulatory requirements permit.

“Demand for our products in China has been developing very positively for years. At the same time, exporting from Germany and importing into China have become increasingly challenging. We therefore decided that establishing our own production facility there was the logical next step, enabling us to expand reliably in the local market,” says Jürgen Wigger, Managing Director of BEWITAL Group.

The move is part of the company’s broader expansion plans, which include the construction of Plant 6, a state-of-the-art production facility at its German site.

Nestlé Purina

Nestlé Purina is investing CHF 520 million ($650M/€481M) in a new production plant in Mantova, Italy, combining a wet pet food manufacturing facility with a logistics platform serving Purina and other Nestlé brands.

Production is expected to begin in 2029. The facility will incorporate sustainable measures to reduce emissions and logistics-related traffic, save water and recover energy.

It will also feature a warehouse equipped with a fully automated storage and retrieval system (ASRS) with capacity for approximately 94,000 pallets, heat recovery from production processes, automated guided vehicle (AGV) systems and an automated monorail system.

The new site will bring Purina’s total number of production facilities in Europe to 15. “Petcare is one of Nestlé’s four focus businesses, and this investment is a clear signal of our continued growth ambition for the category,” says Rafael Lopez, CEO of Nestlé Purina PetCare Europe.

Freshpet

US-based pet food producer Freshpet has leased a 216,000-square-foot cold storage facility in Pennsylvania, marking its first dedicated cold storage site.

The facility is expected to be completed by the end of 2026. Located just minutes from Freshpet’s existing Bethlehem Kitchen, the site also provides convenient access to major roadways.

“It gives us greater control over our operations and the scalability we need to keep pace with our growth, while positioning us to support Freshpet for years to come,” says Nicki Baty, Chief Operating Officer at Freshpet. 

The site is being developed through a joint venture between Petrucci, a development and design-build company, and BGO Cold Chain, one of the world’s largest cold storage investors.

Phillips Pet Food & Supplies

The pet specialty distributor has relocated its Denver distribution center to a new 155,250 sq ft facility in Aurora, Colorado. The relocation doubled its distribution capacity in the state, one of Phillips’ fastest-growing regions. 

The expanded facility is expected to support faster order fulfillment, improved product availability and enhanced service for retailers across the region. It is also part of Phillips’ broader investment in its national distribution network to serve multiple pet retail channels.

Based in Easton, Pennsylvania, Phillips currently operates 24 distribution centers across the US, serving pet and aquatic retailers, feed and farm stores, groomers, veterinarians and humane organizations.

Post Consumer Brands

Post Consumer Brands is expanding its distribution footprint in Fairburn, Georgia, with a $32 million (€28.15M) project that will increase the capacity of its existing warehouse and distribution operations.

The expansion, funded by the facility’s landlord, will add approximately 301,320 sq ft to the existing 700,000 sq ft site. Construction is expected to begin in Q4 2026, with operations scheduled to commence by Q3 2027.

The company plans to use the expanded site as a consolidated Southeast hub for its breakfast cereal and pet food products, helping it streamline logistics, lower transportation costs and improve inventory management.

Cosmax Pet

The pet health and beauty business of South Korean cosmetics group Cosmax commenced operations at a new production facility in Jeungpyeong, Chungcheongbuk-do, 125 km from Seoul.

The company relocated its previous factory in Goesan, North Chungcheong Province, to the new site, increasing production capacity fourfold through an investment of KRW 40 billion ($27M/€24M). The facility will focus on nutritional supplements and functional snack products for pets.

The new plant is expected to strengthen Cosmax Pet’s original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and original design manufacturer (ODM) capabilities, covering the full product development process from product planning and raw material sourcing to formulation development, manufacturing and quality control.

“The new Jeungpyeong plant is a specialized production base for pet healthcare products and a strategic hub to strengthen formulation competitiveness and quality stability,” says Jin Ho-jeong, CEO of Cosmax Pet.

He adds that the company will seek to meet growing demand from domestic and international customers by leveraging its formulation development capabilities and proprietary materials.

Symrise Pet Food

In June, Symrise Pet Food began construction of a new production facility in Australia dedicated to pet food palatability enhancers. 

The investment will expand the company’s local production capabilities and strengthen its presence in the Australian and wider regional pet food market. The manufacturer says the new site will also allow it to bring its technical expertise and products closer to customers in the region.

Symrise Pet Food is part of the Taste, Nutrition & Health segment of the Symrise Group. The pet food business currently operates 32 sites globally and generated €1.53 billion ($1.76B) in sales in the first half of 2026.