Nestlé has opened a new $120 million pet food factory in Teno, Chile, which will produce food for dogs and cats to meet the growing demand in Latin America.
The factory is among the most modern in the world and will ensure the highest standards of quality and food safety, the consumer good giant said.
It will directly employ 154 people, more than 70% of whom come from neighbouring areas and 40% of whom are less than 30 years of age.
The plant will produce 65,000 tons of pet food, including the dry food brands Dog Chow, Cat Chow, Doko, Gati and Purina Excellent, for local consumption and export markets in Latin America.
The facility also meets high environmental standards with no waste going to landfill, a natural gas boiler reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 23%, and 100% of energy coming from non-conventional renewable sources.
Chilean Potential
“We are proud of the accomplishment of this important project," said Laurent Freixe, executive vice president of Nestlé in the Americas. “Nestlé sees great potential in Chile, and this is why we will now locally produce pet food that we had previously imported.
“We know that the country has the supply, the labour force and the technology to drive innovation in the region."
Nestlé’s Purina pet care brand announced a new food factory in the US last year, with a $320 million investment in the site in Hartwell, Georgia, planned from now until 2023.
It also opened a food production facility in Cuba at the end of last year, focussing on ground coffee, cereal-based snacks, the Nesquik powdered beverage, as well as Maggi cooking aids.
© 2018 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Kevin Duggan. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
