Nestlé Purina officially opened its newest pet food manufacturing facility in Batavia, Ohio, with a ceremonial ribbon-cutting and the standard gathering of company employees and leaders as well as government and community officials, according to a release from the company.

The Batavia facility spans 1.3 million sq. ft. and becomes Purina’s 24th factory in the U.S., and its second in Ohio along with Zanesville. Batavia is the first green-field factory Purina has built from the ground up since 1975 — in 2024, Purina finished renovations and opened its 23rd facility, a former MillerCoors brewery in Eden, N.C.

Plans to build the Batavia facility were announced in October 2020. With a $550 million price tag, it is the largest investment Nestlé has made in any Purina facility to date. It is already operational, producing Purina Pro Plan, Purina One and Dog Chow, with 430 people employed (with plans to grow the workforce to 500-plus once the plant is fully operational).

Advanced food safety systems, digital manufacturing tools, robotics and automation support efficient production, the release noted, and its 10-plus-story design includes an Automated Storage and Retrieval System (ASRS). Purina also included a Manufacturing Experience Center to educate visitors, students and community leaders on modern manufacturing. It was designed to adapt quickly to changing consumer needs, and Purina said in its announcement that it will help feed some 8 million pets annually.