(PRESS RELEASE) SAN DIEGO, CA — The Honest Kitchen announced plans to open a manufacturing facility to support the growth of Whole Food Clusters, its human-grade dry food.
The plant is under construction near Topeka, KS, with food production scheduled to begin in the third quarter of this year.
“This new facility, once combined with our manufacturing operation on the West Coast, will represent a huge step forward in increasing our overall manufacturing capacity for Whole Food Clusters,” said Nate Kredich, chief operating officer of The Honest Kitchen. “We are proud not only of the new jobs that this facility will create in Shawnee County, but also that nearly all of our equipment will be sourced from U.S. suppliers.”
Whole Food Clusters, which are produced using The Honest Kitchen’s proprietary MadeHonest process, launched in 2019 as the first human-grade dry food, the company noted in a press release. Each cluster is slow roasted and gently dehydrated to protect the nutrients. The product line recently expanded and now has a full range of recipes including grain-free, whole grain, puppy and small-breed recipes.
“In a short amount of time, Whole Food Clusters has exceeded all sales and velocity expectations,” said Michael Greenwell, the company’s CEO. “We’re excited to continue the human-grade pet food momentum and meet the growing demand for this revolutionary product. This expansion will allow us to not only scale as needed but accelerate additional innovations within the line.”
In addition to scaling the production line, the 100,000-square-foot facility will initially add a minimum of 40 new jobs to the local economy, according to the release.
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The Topeka area was “strategically chosen for its proximity to quality raw ingredient suppliers and because it fosters improved distribution capabilities, reducing transit time to key Midwest and East Coast markets,” the company explained.
