Polish dog food producer PsiBufet has been taken over by the UK’s Butternut Box, and the company’s founder hopes that the latest deal will enable the brand to further advance its European expansion plans.
“Once our new factory in Zabrze, in south-western Poland, is launched, it will supply its output to the Polish market, as well as to four other European markets in which we are already present: the UK, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany,” Piotr Wawrysiuk, the founder of PsiBufet, told Petfoodindustry.com.
“In these three latter markets, we will sell our output under the Butterbox brand. But we are already thinking of expanding our presence to new foreign markets,” said Wawrysiuk.
When asked about particular countries in Europe that could be of interest to PsiBufet, the brand’s founder replied that “we will extend the list of the countries where we supply our premium dog food, and, until the end of this year, we will decide which market has potential, and what are the operational requirements that we would need to comply with to enter it.”
New Zealand’s King Country Pet Food to boost workforce
New Zealand’s producer King Country Pet Food has announced that, following an upgrade worth some NZ$90 million (US$56 million) and three years of refurbishment at its production facility, the company is aiming to double its existing workforce of about 60 employees.
Gareth Stillman, the general manager of commercial at King Country Pet Food, told local broadcaster Radio New Zealand that the factory in Taumarunui, a town on the country’s central North Island, uses locally-sourced ingredients to make dry pet food for a wide range of brands sold in various countries.
“It's very technical, because we're actually feeding an animal a complete, balanced diet,” said Stillman.
“They've got to eat that for the rest of their life and know that they get the right nutrition. It's 10 times more complicated than human food,” according to Stillmann. “A lot of the raw material is grown around the Taumarunui region, so it's reasonably centralized."
The Kiwi production facility is currently enabled to make some 400 tons of pet food per week. In the coming years, its capability is to be upgraded, enabling the plant to manufacture some 40,000 tons per year, the general manager said.
Natura Plus Ultra Pet Food to run 100 stores by 2028
French producer Natura Plus Ultra Pet Food, a direct-to-consumer business, has unveiled plans to significantly strengthen its brick-and-mortar presence in the domestic market in relation to the growing demand for the pet food offered under its brand, Ultra Premium Direct.
The company currently operates a network of 10 stores across France, and aims to double this number by the end of this year, according to the information obtained by local business daily Les Echos. Starting in 2025, the French business is aiming to open around 20 new stores per year. The direct-to-consumer business has a goal to operate an expanded network of some 100 stores in the French market by the end of 2028.
Earlier this year, Matthieu Wincker, the president and founder of Natura Plus Ultra Pet Food, told Petfoodindustry.com that the French company is also intensifying efforts to ramp up its production capacities.
“On the plant side, a fourth expansion project will begin in 2024, bringing the total surface area to 13,000 square meters” or around 140,000 sq. ft, he said. “Our current production lines enable us to absorb a volume that could generate sales of €150 million a year” which translates into about US$163 million.
