SEWARD, NEB. — More than a year after Scoular’s Petsource freeze-dried pet food and treat plant, plans for expansion have begun. Due to increased demand for freeze-dried pet food proteins, Petsource quickly realized after the plant began production in late 2020 that it would need to increase capacity to meet customer demand.
“A year after we opened the original facility, we’re already thinking about expansion simply because of the tremendous amount of demand and growth within the freeze-dried category,” said Chad Kucks, director of Commercial Operations at Scoular’s Petsource. Pet Food Processing in an exclusive interview.
The company broke ground on an expansion of the facility in November 2022, and now its $75 million expansion, which added 70,000 square feet to the plant and 75 more jobs in the area, is complete.
Scoular’s Petsource has tripled the number of freeze dryers, increasing its capacity.
| Source: Scoular“We are excited to be able to deliver additional capacity for our customers, both current and future, and support their growth plans,” said Amy Patterson, Petsource president. “Strong demand, growth in our customers’ businesses, and our desire to continue to provide them with high-quality, innovative solutions drove the project.”
The original 105,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Seward, a $55 million initial investment and an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of Scoular, opened in 2020 as a one-stop shop for freeze-dried pet food production. Everything from recipe development to raw meat processing, freeze-drying and packaging is done under one roof.
“Scoular has supplied the pet food industry with ingredients for many years – those are our past customers,” Patterson said. Pet Food Processing on a 2022 tour of the Seward facility. “In 2017, the company had an idea. Take the freeze-dry supply chain and put everything under one roof. Bring raw material expertise with all freeze-dry manufacturers under one roof. “
The freeze-drying process protects and preserves the nutrition and flavor of pet food ingredients, preserving the raw product state, while extending the product’s shelf life without additional preservatives.
“The raw, freeze-dried pet food emerging trend is very popular right now,” said Jon Heussner, vice president of operations, during the plant tour. “There’s a huge demand for it, and we’re helping to support that demand.”
Demand for freeze-dried products has not slowed since the plant began operations in 2020, and now with the expansion, Petsource will be able to accommodate continued growth in the segment by tripling freeze-drying capacity. its drying.
To triple capacity, the company had to triple the number of freeze dryers. In addition to those additions, it expanded its raw processing and forming lines and added some extra warehouse space. The facility’s packaging area was not affected by the expansion because it had built-in capacity from the original plant construction.
With increased production capacity comes increased demand for labor. The Seward plant now employs about 150 people, after the addition of about 75 employees hired to help run more labor-intensive parts of the plant, which include raw processing lines, tray loading area and packaging department. Petsource is now one of the Top 10 largest employers in Seward County.
Following the expansion, Petsource of Scoular’s Seward plant employs about 150 people.
| Source: Scoular“We don’t have much problem filling positions. Locally, we’re known as a premier employer, so usually when positions are open, it’s not too much of a problem,” Kucks said. “We need to expand our recruiting footprint in communities like Lincoln and the surrounding counties to attract more talent to our facility because unemployment is so low in our region.”
Jonathan Jank, president and chief executive officer of the Seward County Chamber & Development Partnership, added, “Petsource has been a tremendous employer not only in our county but in the region. They have been a best-in-class employer, and we excited for them to continue to grow in our community.”
Petsource is particularly proud of its integrated production process and its food safety and quality standards. The Seward facility is a Safe Quality Food (SQF) certified plant.
“One of the things Petsource really prides itself on is making sure we’re very diligent about protecting the brands we do business with,” Kucks said. “We are really excited to be able to offer this additional capacity to the freeze-dried pet food market. We know many brands will look forward to the capabilities Petsource brings to the market.”
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