Nestlé Purina’s new wet pet food facility to boost Brazilian exports and meet local demand

Nestlé Purina has launched its new factory in Vargeão, Brazil, to scale production of its wet food for cats and dogs. The site supplies exports while also meeting growing local demand, which the company notes is one of the largest global pet food markets, with around 110 million pets. 

This is Purina’s largest investment in Brazil, totaling CHF 370 million (~US$473.6 million), and will nearly double the company’s wet pet food capacity in the country upon full operation. Over the past few years, Purina has posted double-digit growth in Brazil.

“Petcare is one of four businesses Nestlé is focused on globally,” says Marcelo Melchior, CEO of Nestlé Brazil.

“The new Vargeão plant strengthens our global strategy to expand premium wet pet food, offering a variety of textures and sensory experiences that elevate great nutrition for dogs and cats. This investment reflects our commitment to innovation, the well-being of pets, and Brazil as one of the most strategic markets for the growth of the pet business.”

Next-gen production lines

The new Vargeão facility complements the existing Purina site in Ribeirão Preto, Brazil. The unit has just begun shipments to Chile and will gradually expand to other South American countries.

This is Purina’s largest investment in Brazil, totaling CHF 370 million (~US$473.6 million), and will nearly double the company’s wet pet food capacity in the country.Aligning with Nestlé’s digital transformation, the site is equipped with next-generation production lines delivering significant efficiency and productivity gains, the company highlights.

It features an integrated operations center, robots on filling and packaging lines, and solutions powered by the Internet of Things (IoT) and AI that enable real-time monitoring and end-to-end traceability.

The project is also Purina’s first manufacturing factory in Latin America to run on renewable thermal and electric energy, using a biomass-powered boiler and electricity said to be generated from renewable sources. The facility will also create 140 permanent jobs.

Latin America is a key growth market for Purina. Next to the Vargeão factory investment, the company also recently unveiled a new Purina Experience Center within its plant in Silao, Mexico.

This center offers employees, customers, veterinary students, and other partners opportunities to learn firsthand about the science and innovation behind Purina’s products.

In other pet nutrition industry headlines this week, ADM’s pet supplement Priome, containing Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. Lactis CECT 8145, demonstrated metabolic health benefits in a trial with pet dogs. The findings include a reduction in postprandial blood glucose — sugar in the blood after a meal — as well as improved digestibility and gut hormone levels.