Pet Food Firm Breaks Ground for Manufacturing Plant

Barrett Petfood Innovations broke ground Aug. 12 on a manufacturing plant in Little Falls, MN.

The facility is expected to bring 85 jobs over three years, the Brainerd Dispatch reports. They’ll pay an average of $15.98 per hour.

The plant will be a 160,000-square-foot building starting with one production line and eventually expanding to two. The company also has a facility a few miles south of Brainerd, MN, with 105 employees.

The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development is providing support for the project. that includes investments of $450,000 from the Minnesota Investment Fund and $175,000 from the Job Creation Fund.

The Dispatch notes that Barrett produces over 150 types of pet food. That includes products for dogs and cats as well as a variety of other animals, from turtles to primates.

Tom Barrett, a managing director of the company, was quoted saying, “In terms of dry pet food, we focus on the most super premium end of that, so a lot of fresh ingredients, fresh meat, fresh vegetables and fruits, and we focus on mostly independent pet brands.”