The factory in Batavia, Ohio is Purina's first new plant built from the ground up since 1975 and the largest investment Nestlé has made in a Purina manufacturing facility to date.
The CHF 520 million ($648 million) facility will combine a wet pet food plant with a highly efficient logistics platform serving Purina as well as other Nestlé brands.
The Vargeão site is Purina's largest investment in Brazil and will nearly double the company's wet pet food capacity in the country when fully operational.
The company has already invested $240 million in a Nature’s Bakery facility in Utah, as well as $450 million in a Royal Canin dry pet food facility in Ohio.
Set to close in the third quarter of fiscal 2025, the transaction marks the fifth acquisition General Mills has announced or completed in the pet category.
These partnerships aim to encourage wheat, corn and rice farmers in select regions of North America to implement regenerative agriculture practices, contributing to scope 3 carbon reductions.
Developments funded by the investment include upgrading existing production lines, revamping facilities for the factory’s 600 workers, and initiatives to improve energy efficiency and to help reduce carbon emissions.
