Versele-Laga celebrates 90 years with a plant expansion
The Belgian manufacturer opens a new production line for extruded plant-based pet food to cope with the increasing demand.
Flanders-based Versele-Laga announced the launch of a production line for unique species, including birds, small mammals, and horses, at its factory in Deinze.
The company has invested in a second extrusion line after the increase in demand, and its ambition is to continue expanding its footprint.
The new line will specialize existing extrusion methods by dedicating one line to bird feeds and the other to high-fiber feeds for herbivorous species.
Versele-Laga stated in a press release that its ambition is to become the market leader in Europe and the USA for birds and small mammals.
“The future looks bright as more and more families are adopting one or more pets, and at the same time, we are seeing a growing interest in healthy nutrition and care,” commented Versele-Laga’s CEO Frederic Boone.
A pioneer company
Despite the wide use of extrusion techniques for dog and cat food, the Belgian manufacturer played an important role in introducing extrusion in bird and small mammal feeds.
In 1994, Versele-Laga became the first European producer of extruded bird feed with the launch of NutriBird. A decade later, its Complete product line offered extrudates with long fibers for herbivores like rabbits.
The firm is currently present in 85 countries, feeding 25 million animals daily through a portfolio of 2,000 carefully specialized food products for birds, pigeons, small mammals, dogs, cats, horses, farm animals, and more.
A long story
Created in 1932, the company evolved from being a feed manufacturer to producing nutrition and care products for pets and performance animals.
Versele-Laga began as ‘De Gulden Ster’ in Astene under Prudent Versele, who started trading and mixing livestock feed. By 1937 he built a cattle feed factory, which first expanded in 1957 to increase goods capacity.
The mid-1960s witnessed a series of mergers and acquisitions, starting with an animal feed factory in Hasselt. In 1966 the company merged with Joseph Laga Houtekier’s factory, which today gives the company its name.
In 1981, the construction of a dedicated pet food factory strengthened its position in the pet and performance animal market. Today the channel has 11 distribution centers across Europe, China, the United States, and Canada.
Versele-Laga entered China in 2011 and gained footing in the US with horse feed. After acquiring Goldenfeast and Higgins Premium Pet Foods, it began producing feed for birds, small mammals, pigeons, and horses in the US.
Since 2019 the company has been focusing primarily on pet food and care products.
Today, after 90 years, the producer offers high-quality food and care products for millions of domestic and performance animals worldwide.
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