Wattie’s opens refurbished pet food factory
After four-and-a-half years, the $20 million upgrade has been completed.
The pet food manufacturing facility in Tomoana, Hastings (New Zealand), produces cat food brands Chef, Gourmet and Champ as well as a range of pet food products for export.
Wattie’s pet food is sold in New Zealand, Asia, the United States and the Middle East. They expect the new plant’s 30% growth capability to come from these and other international markets.
“There is a lot of demand for New Zealand-made pet food in Asian countries and we are starting to see that market emerge as a big opportunity,” said Wattie’s Tomoana site manager Malcolm Reid.
The focus of the upgrade was an investment in a new canning retort capability designed to increase reliability and productivity.