Listen to this articlePress release: Petsource
Petsource by Scoular has completed a $75 million expansion that delivers additional capacity to help existing customers grow and space to accommodate new customers seeking production at 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.
The expansion of Petsource’s Seward facility 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.
Petsource is a leader in streamlining the manufacturing of freeze-dried pet food products. Petsource was among the first in the country to integrate manufacturing steps when it opened in 2020 – providing everything from recipe development to raw meat processing, freeze-drying, and packaging – creating the 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.”
New customers are looking for both Petsource’s integrated production process, and its own food safety and quality standardsanother factor that sets it above many competitors.
“Scoular thrives both on helping our valued customers grow and on helping our communities thrive,” said CEO Paul Maass. “We are proud to continue to invest in the state we have called home for more than 130 years.”
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.
“I am grateful for Scoular’s 130 years of business impact in Nebraska and congratulate them on Petsource’s growth over the past four years in Seward County,” said Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen.
Expansion boosted Petsource Help spur job growth, housing construction and other economic development in Seward County, says Jonathan Jank, president and CEO of the Seward County Chamber & Development Partnership. He also credits Petsource with helping bring other businesses to the Seward/Lincoln Regional Rail Campus where it has served as an anchor since operations first began there more than three years ago.
“Petsource has become a tremendous employer not only in our county but in the region,” Jank said. “They have been a best-in-class employer and we are excited for them to continue to grow in our community.”
