“Our investment will support the development of a 7,800 sq m manufacturing facility dedicated to the production of single serve pouches - around 290 million pouches of cat food initially,” commetned Craig Sargeant, general manager, Petcare Australia at Mars, in a social media post announcing the expansion.
He said the move underscores the company’s commitment to bolstering its local operations by sourcing and making the most of its portfolio in Australia.
The expansion will allow the company to respond to local pet trends including the continued rise in cat ownership - growing at nearly 4% per year – more than twice as fast as the dog population, he added.
The facility is expected to be fully operational by mid-2025, added Sargeant. It will serve both the Australia and the New Zealand markets.
According to local media, Mars Petcare has secured funding from the Victoria government’s regional development fund for the capacity expansion project.
“We’re continuing to work with rural and regional producers to support investment in growth industries, to cement Mars Petcare’s long-term operations and workforce in Wodonga and its place in a strong market,” said Harriet Shing, minister for regional development Victoria.
