CHRISTCHURCH, NEW ZEALAND — New Zealand Riverland Foods Ltd is setting up shop in Canterbury to offer exclusive co-manufacturing capabilities for international clients in the canned pet food space. The company — led by Michael Dance and Tom Coughlan, former general managers at another New Zealand-based pet food manufacturer, ZIWI — announced on January 24 plans to establish an “ultra-modern ” facility with the capacity to produce 30 million cans of pet food annually.
The company will invest $20 million in the facility to begin with, and expects additional investment as the plant develops. Plans for the facility began in 2022, and the plant is expected to open in February. The company noted that it is already in talks with brands in North America, Asia and Australia to manufacture their products.
According to New Zealand Riverland Foods, the company is open to working with local dog and cat food brands, which currently compete in a $500 million market there. However, the New Zealand market is “dwarfed” by global demand, which is currently estimated at $104 billion and is expected to reach $163 billion by 2030, according to research cited by the company.
Michael Dance (left), general manager, and Tom Coughlan, head of operations, at New Zealand Riverland Foods Ltd.
| Source: New Zealand Riverland Foods Ltd
“There is a huge need for access to modern manufacturing facilities that are both flexible and innovative,” said Dance, general manager of New Zealand Riverland Foods Ltd. “… We want to play an important part in the health and longevity of pets and help put New Zealand firmly on the pet food map of the world.”
New Zealand is home to a few pet food plants, but most are on the smaller side and tend to favor their own branded products, according to New Zealand Riverland Foods. With the establishment of a facility dedicated to co-manufacturing for smaller brands, the company hopes to establish the country as “a go-to destination for third-party manufacturing” on the global stage.
“Not doing our own brand gives us a real point of difference,” added Dance. “All customers are treated equally. It also gives us the flexibility to meet changing market needs such as different product textures and formulations.”
Capabilities at the Canterbury facility include several pet food textures, including mousses, pâtés and chunks-in-gravy styles that particularly appeal to cats’ delicate palates, Dance shared.
According to Coughlan, head of operations at New Zealand Riverland Foods Ltd, he and Dance chose Hornby, located on the west side of Christchurch, as the location for the new facility because of its “proximity to processing plants and de- quality raw materials.”
Read more about pet food and treatment processing on our Operations page.
