Scoular’s Petsource has completed a $75 million expansion in Seward, Nebraska, delivering additional capacity to help existing customers grow and space to accommodate new customers seeking production in the state-of-the-art facility.
The tripling of capacity also allows customers to better introduce new products to market, with the expansion providing an additional 70,000 square feet of freeze-dried pet food ingredient manufacturing space. Freeze-dried products are among the fastest growing pet food categories. A photo of the plant is featured above.
New jobs
The expansion of Petsource’s Seward facility has created 75 new jobs, with more hiring planned. Petsource now employs more than 150 people, making it one of the top 10 largest employers in Seward County, a business hub in southeast Nebraska. Petsource is an indirect, wholly owned and independently operated subsidiary of Scoular, Omaha, Nebraska.
Petsource is a leader in streamlining the manufacturing of freeze-dried pet food products. Petsource was among the first in the country to consolidate manufacturing steps under one roof when it opened in 2020—providing everything from recipe development to raw meat processing, freeze-drying, and packaging —that creates an end-to-end solution for brand owners to help support their growth initiatives.
“We are excited to be able to deliver additional capacity for our customers, both current and future, and support their growth plans,” said Petsource President Amy Patterson. “Strong demand, growth in our customers’ businesses, and our desire to continue to provide them with high-quality, innovative solutions drove the project.”
Pet food player
Scoular has partnered with pet food manufacturers for decades and will continue to invest to support the growth of the marketplace. Petsource’s expansion is an important part of larger growth plans supporting the pet food industry.
Petsource—fueled by the expansion—has helped spur job growth, housing construction and other economic development in Seward County, said Jonathan Jank, President and CEO of the Seward County Chamber & Development Partnership.
He also credits Petsource with helping draw other businesses to the Seward/Lincoln Regional Rail Campus where it has served as an anchor since it first began operations there more than three years ago.