General Mills Breaks Ground on Blue Buffalo Indiana Plant Expansion

March 28, 2023

Richmond, Ind., facility celebrated its grand opening four years ago, and this expansion will increase its footprint by more than 40 percent by the end of 2024.

Andy Hanacek

General Mills broke ground earlier this week on a plant expansion at the company’s Blue Buffalo processing facility in Richmond, Ind., according to a release from the Indiana Economic Development Corporation.

The company will invest $200 million over two years on a 169,000-square-foot addition to expand the building’s footprint by more than 40 percent by adding another extruder line, three new packaging lines and an associated mix and transfer system, increasing its production of dog and cat food. The company plans to complete the expansion at the facility by the end of 2024. General Mills/Blue Buffalo opened the facility four years ago. It is anticipated the facility will create 50-60 new jobs to the current workforce of more than 180.

General Mills purchased Blue Buffalo in 2018.

About the Author

Andy Hanacek | Senior Editor

Andy Hanacek has covered meat, poultry, bakery and snack foods as a B2B editor for nearly 20 years, and has toured hundreds of processing plants and food companies, sharing stories of innovation and technological advancement throughout the food supply chain. In 2018, he won a Folio:Eddie Award for his unique "From the Editor's Desk" video blogs, and he has brought home additional awards from Folio and ASBPE over the years. In addition, Hanacek led the Meat Industry Hall of Fame for several years and was vice president of communications for We R Food Safety, a food safety software and consulting company.