Blue Buffalo, the manufacturer of veterinary-exclusive dog and cat food as well as pet food brands sold in the mass market, has opened its second factory.
The 400,000-square-foot Richmond, Indiana, plant is large enough to turn out more than 1 million pounds of dry food a day under the Life Protection Formula, Wilderness, Basics and Freedom brands. The company’s other factory is in Joplin, Missouri.
The new plant supports 165 full-time jobs.
“Our new state-of-the-art plant in Richmond exceeds industry standards in food safety and product quality, and will allow Blue Buffalo to feed more pets and reach more pet parents wherever they shop,” said Billy Bishop, president of Blue Buffalo Pet Foods.
Blue Buffalo was founded by Bishop’s father, Bill, and was sold in 2018 to General Mills Inc. for $8 billion.
“With this expanded manufacturing capability, General Mills and Blue Buffalo can better meet the growing demand for pet food made with natural ingredients,” said Jeff Harmening, General Mills’ chairman and CEO. “This new plant is another example of General Mills accelerating the growth of our natural and organic brands.”
Petfood Industry magazine reported that Blue Buffalo is considering ramping up the production of wet pet foods and treats because of higher profit margins. Blue Buffalo’s total sales reached $1.43 billion in the last fiscal year.