BELOIT, WI — Natural food manufacturer and co-packer IPM Foods is expanding into the wet pet food market with the launch of NaturPak Pet.
The company will be increasing its capacity by moving its operation from its current location in Beloit, WI, to a new 162,000-square-foot packaging facility opening in neighboring Janesville in mid-2019, according to a press release. And the expansion into the wet pet food industry means staffing will more than double by 2020 to more than 100.
The project will cost $20 million, the Gazette reports.
NaturPak Pet designs, manufactures and packages natural wet pet food products and offers a green alternative to packaging with recyclable, BPA-free Tetra Pak cartons. The new plant will include increased warehousing space and new processing equipment.
“As a leader in natural food products, with 35 years of experience with packaging container technology, we saw a huge opportunity to expand into the wet pet food market by providing nutrient-rich pet food products and packaging services to pet food brand owners,” said IPM Foods co-owner Pawel Marciniak. “We are so excited to see the pet food industry embracing the high-quality and natural products that can be made available to the U.S. and Canadian markets via this innovative technology, and we see a bright future in our partnerships.”
NaturPak Pet states that it is in talks with about a dozen pet food companies about packing opportunities for their wet dog and cat food.