Purina owner Nestlé is eyeing rising demand for “super-premium wet pet food” and building a new factory in Italy.
The site in Mantova in the north of the country will start operations in 2029, Nestlé said today (20 July).
The Swiss giant said it is spending SFr520m ($642.7m) on the project.
“Our pet food is a fast-growing segment and this plant specifically will be producing single-serve wet dog and single-serve wet cat,” Rafael López, the CEO of Nestlé’s Purina business in Europe, said.
“This is a fast-growing segment because the consumers love variety, great taste and great nutrition. In particular, wet cat is growing around 8%.”
The new factory will be the 15th Purina production site in Europe and the second in Italy, although the site is the first for wet pet food in the country.
A Nestlé spokesperson said the new facility "is expected to serve both domestic demand and customers across multiple European markets".
Asked how many full-time staff will be working at the site when it is up and running, the spokesperson added: "The start of construction is by the end of 2026 and the hub becoming fully operational and integrated by 2029. We expect the project to create approximately 300 new jobs."
Overall, Nestlé said “pet care” is “an important growth driver” for the business. The area accounts for more than a fifth of the group’s global sales. In Europe, pet care makes up 29% of Nestlé’s sales.
The company believes pet care will continue to grow, helped by “rising pet populations, increasing demand for super-premium nutrition and the premiumisation of wet cat food”.
López added: “Petcare is one of Nestlé's four business focus areas, and this investment will allow us to expand our capacity in production and distribution to serve correctly the increasing demand for pet food across Europe.”
