Food Engineering logo
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Food Engineering logo
  • NEWS
    • Latest Headlines
    • Manufacturing News
    • People & Industry News
    • Plant Openings
    • Recalls
    • Regulatory Watch
    • Supplier News
  • PRODUCTS
    • New Plant Products
    • New Retail Products
  • TOPICS
    • Alternative Protein
    • Automation
    • Cannabis
    • Cleaning | Sanitation
    • Fabulous Food Plants
    • Food Safety
    • Maintenance Strategies
    • OEE
    • Packaging
    • Sustainability
    • More
  • EXCLUSIVES
    • Plant Construction Survey
    • Plant of the Year
    • Sustainable Plant of the Year
    • State of Food Manufacturing
    • Top 100 Food & Beverage Companies
  • MEDIA
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • FOOD MASTER
  • EVENTS
    • Food Automation & Manufacturing Symposium and Expo
    • Industry Events
  • RESOURCES
    • eNewsletter
    • Custom Content & Marketing Services
    • FE Store
    • Government Links
    • Industry Associations
    • Market Research
    • Classified Ads
  • EMAGAZINE
    • eMagazine
    • Archive Issue
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP!
People & Industry NewsPlant Openings

Plant Construction

Freshpet’s new kitchen design indistinguishable from human food processing

Refrigerated pet food maker chooses CRB to develop the site

By Rose Shilling
New Freshpet facility in Texas
New Freshpet facility in Texas
New Freshpet facility in Texas
New Freshpet facility in Texas
New Freshpet facility in Texas
New Freshpet facility in Texas
May 6, 2020

CRB will develop Freshpet’s third kitchen for fresh, refrigerated pet food with a design that matches human food processing lines, appealing to shoppers who want pet food that’s as safe as what they eat.

The new facility in Ennis, Texas, will incorporate layout efficiencies, hygienic segregations, equipment, conveyance, cleaning and inspection designs that are indistinguishable from human food processing facilities, the engineering, architecture and construction company says.

The kitchen will allow Freshpet to significantly scale production capacity as buyers increasingly seek fresh and natural food for their pets. The first phase of 400,000 sq. ft. of manufacturing space is expected to open in fall 2022, followed by a 200,000-sq.-ft. expansion phase. At full capacity, the facility will allow Freshpet to produce enough pet food to exceed $1 billion in total revenue by 2025 and employ more than 400 people, nearly doubling Freshpet’s workforce.

“Our third Freshpet Kitchen in Ennis is the perfect location to help us drive new innovation while making our food in a way that’s best for pets, people and the planet,” said Billy Cyr, CEO of Freshpet.

The project uses CRB’s ONEsolution service, which the company describes as “a single source of responsibility, transparent communication and streamlined coordination across the project’s lifecycle—from architectural, engineering development and design through to construction and commissioning.”

“Freshpet understands that pets are members of the family, and they put as much care into the manufacture of their pet food products as they would for their human counterparts,” said Ryan Schroeder, president of CRB. “Our ONEsolution approach will enable Freshpet to take advantage of innovative design elements and a truly end-to-end project delivery model as they set a new standard in pet food manufacturing.”

CRB previously provided design and engineering services on Freshpet’s 140,000-sq.-ft. refrigerated pet food expansion at Bethlehem, Pa. CRB designed power, utility, ammonia refrigeration and HVAC systems, along with other critical and support functions.

Freshpet foods can be found in over 20,000 in-store refrigerators across the U.S., UK and Canada and in large retailers including Walmart, Target, Petco and PetSmart.

KEYWORDS: design/build engineering services pet food industry

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Rose shilling author

Rose Shilling is a previous managing editor of Food Engineering Magazine. She wrote feature stories on a variety of topics and tracked the food packaging industry. A journalist with an editing background at news services and newspapers, she also has driven editorial projects in health care and higher education.

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
to unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • Global Organic Food & Beverage Market to Grow

    Global Organic Food & Beverage Market to Grow

    With a CAGR of 12.07%, Bonafide Research estimates this...
    Latest headlines
  • skilled MEP worker

    Predicting Food and Beverage Manufacturing Trends for 2024

    The two words that should be kept in mind are labor and...
    Automation
    By: Derrick Teal
  • cleaning and sanitation

    The basics of cleaning and sanitation in food plants

    Sanitation maintains or restores a state of cleanliness...
    Cleaning | Sanitation
    By: Richard F. Stier
Subscribe For Free!
  • eMagazine
  • eNewsletter
  • Online Registration
  • Manage My Preferences
  • Customer Service

More Videos

Popular Stories

Conagra Logo

Conagra Brands to Sell Chef Boyardee Brand to Hometown Food Company

Chobani groundbreaking

Chobani to Build $1.2B Manufacturing Facility in New York

conveying and packaging operations

Planning Tips for Conveying Systems and Lines

CHECK OUT OUR NEW ESSENTIAL TOPICS

Alternative ProteinAutomationCleaning/SanitationFabulous Food Plants

Food SafetyMaintenance StrategiesOEE

PackagingSustainability

Events

June 5, 2025

Mass Customization Driving Innovation in the Food and Beverage Industry

The food and beverage industry is at the nexus of transformative global manufacturing trends, driving a shift toward personalized, customer-centric solutions. 

June 5, 2025

How Cafe Spice Uses Automation to Propel Private Label

Learn about Cafe Spice’s new, state-of-the-art, highly automated manufacturing facility in Beacon, New York. 

View All Submit An Event

Products

Recent Advances in Ready-to-Eat Food Technology

Recent Advances in Ready-to-Eat Food Technology

See More Products

Plant of the Year

Related Articles

  • modular health space

    Pandemic is changing layout and design of food plants

    See More
  • Petsource plant rendering

    Scoular’s new plant to make high-quality pet food ingredients that shoppers demand

    See More
  • Heinz Ketchup bottle

    Kraft Heinz wants European ketchup bottles to be recyclable as new food packaging

    See More
×

Elevate your expertise in food engineering with unparalleled insights and connections.

Get the latest industry updates tailored your way.

JOIN TODAY!
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Food Master
    • Store
    • Want More
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eMagazine
    • eNewsletter
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing