The new pet food canning plant in Christchurch has an initial capacity for 30 million cans a year, 95% for export to global brands.
The Riverland Foods plant in Hornby will produce three can sizes of wet cat and dog foods, offering a third-party manufacturing opportunity not yet available in New Zealand.
A small number of existing canneries operate at full capacity with their own brands or have long-term contracts for a small number of large clients.
“Not doing our own brand gives us a real point of difference,” said Riverland general manager Michael Dance.
“All customers are treated equally. It also gives us the flexibility to meet changing market needs such as different product textures and formulations.”
NZ is known for high-class ingredients and the country’s strong brand and reputation, leaving pet food companies frustrated that they can’t produce products here.
What is canned here is small compared to the ingredients shipped offshore and the huge demand around the world.
The main inputs are cattle and sheep offals and meat-and-bone meal, supplemented by chicken, fish and perhaps venison.
Ingredients will be sourced directly or indirectly from major meat processors, increasing local demand at the same time as exporting the frozen trade to what is typically a market with stable prices.
A commissioned market study done by Coriolis in 2021 forecasts a potential pet food export of $1 billion annually. That market is currently over $300 million.
Riverland will start with customers in the United States, Asia and Australia.
The Hornby facility has a test kitchen and food technology back-up to develop and verify styles.
Another advantage of Riverland is the ability to quickly adjust recipes as demand for cat food changes, with different cats preferring different textures such as mousse, paté or chunky- with-gravy styles.
All of these textures have different mouthfeels and for cats that’s really critical, Dance said.
