It held an inauguration on May 19.
HARTWELL, GA — Nestlé Purina commemorated the opening of its distribution center in Hartwell, GA, during a ceremony May 19.
Tommy Walters, operator, unloads the first pallet of pet food into Nestlé Purina’s new distribution center in Hartwell, GA.
The site is also the future home of the company’s 21st manufacturing facility, where Purina pet food brands will be produced beginning in mid-2019. In all, the company plans to invest $320 million in the Hartwell site by 2023.
The 190,000-square-foot distribution center currently employs more than 40 people and distributes Purina dog and cat food to retailers throughout the Southeast. Purina brands include U.S. include Purina ONE, Tidy Cats, Beneful, Friskies, Fancy Feast and Purina Pro Plan.
Pat Masching, Purina’s vice president and director of manufacturing, said, “We’re excited to mark the completion of the first phase of this project. Pet care is a growing part of Nestlé’s business, and the opening of the distribution center in Hartwell represents the first step in Purina’s journey to expand production capacity into Hartwell, which will help us meet consumer demand.”
Purina will employ approximately 240 people in Hartwell by 2023. Future job openings include positions in administration, production, engineering, maintenance and more.
Hartwell is Purina’s second facility in Georgia, where the company also employs 300 people at its Atlanta pet food factory.
In 2018, Purina will invest $500 million into its factories across the U.S. for projects that support innovation and expansion.