Nestlé moved into North Carolina for the first time last month with the opening of a $450 million Purina dry dog and cat food factory and distribution center.
The Eden, North Carolina, factory opened with 300 new jobs and is located in a repurposed brewery. The 1.3-million-square-foot space includes multiple automated systems in the factory's warehousing and the freezer areas and will manufacture products for brands including Purina Pro Plan, Purina ONE and Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets.
The plant is Purina's 23rd factory in the U.S., with another on the way in Williamsburg Township, Ohio, as the pet food company continues its manufacturing network expansion.
Nestlé is in the midst of a massive U.S. expansion for Purina, with plans to invest $2 billion in Purina factories and expansion projects between 2020 and 2025.
The Purina PetCare product category has been a major driver of Nestlé's overall growth, with brands Purina ONE, Purina Pro Plan and Friskies all seeing double-digit growth in fiscal year 2023. Global Purina PetCare sales reached CHF 18.86 billion (approximately $20.91 billion) in FY23, up 4.2% from FY2022.
The pet food giant has been on a spending spree across the U.S. as it embarks on the expansion plan. Nestlé completed a $182 million expansion at its King William, Virginia, plant in July, and completed a $156 million factory expansion in Clinton, Iowa, in October 2022.
Nestlé’s growth plans for Purina come despite recent downsizing at other plants. The company is laying off 216 workers at a Solon, Ohio, factory as part of an optimization plan.
Late last year, the company also shuttered a freeze-dried coffee plant with nearly 230 employees in New Jersey.
