Romania’s largest poultry producer enters pet food with €150M facility

Romanian poultry producer TRANSAVIA is expanding into the pet industry with a €150 million ($162M) pet food facility. The plant will turn poultry by-products into high-quality processed protein suitable for pets.

Entering the pet food market was also a direct result of the company’s “commitment to minimizing waste and turning everything into value,” as the producer will make full use of chicken parts that are not used for human consumption.

“We observe a strong and growing demand for safe, high-quality, scientifically formulated pet food, combined with a very low level of local production capacity in Romania,” Ioan Popa, President and Founder of TRANSAVIA, tells GlobalPETS.

Popa notes that this trend creates a clear opportunity for the company to enter the category and foster partnerships with industry players across distribution, retail and export. 

As the company already exports around 30% of its poultry production to European and international markets, the new venture will also adopt the same model, he says. 

Starting production in 2026

Set to begin operations in the second half of 2026, the 65,000-square-meter facility will be the largest pet food plant of its kind in Romania, the company states. 

It will manufacture a broad portfolio of dry and wet food formulas, each developed to meet the nutritional needs of dogs and cats across all ages and breeds.

The facility will feature a fully automated, digitized and robotized continuous production flow, with real-time monitoring, strict quality control and state-of-the-art energy-efficiency systems. 

An integrated metal-can production unit will also be part of its installation.

Private label 

According to Theodora Popa-Liteanu, Vice President of TRANSAVIA, while the facility is designed to produce both private-label and own-brand products, the company’s long-term priority is to develop strong, trusted Romanian pet food brands that can compete confidently at regional and international levels. 

“At the same time, we remain open to mutually beneficial partnerships that share our commitment to quality, responsibility and long-term value creation,” she adds.

The modular, scalable design of the factory will also enable future expansions into additional categories and potentially new production units as the market evolves and demand increases.

Founded in 1991, TRANSAVIA produces over 120,000 tons of chicken-based products annually. 

Market overview 

Market research firm Euromonitor International estimates the Romanian pet care market at €1 billion ($1.1 billion) in 2025, up 4.3% year over year and marking its highest valuation since 2023. 

This year, Romania’s pet population is projected at approximately 8.6 million, including 4.61 million cats and 4.07 million dogs. In 2026, these numbers are expected to shift only slightly, with cats totaling 4.6 million and dogs 4.05 million.