Mars Petcare invests $112 million to boost Victorian petfood production

Mars Petcare Australia has announced a major investment in its Wodonga, Victoria regional factory to expand its pet food manufacturing capabilities and create more than 60 new jobs.

Supported by Regional Development Victoria, the project builds on more than $55.8 million invested at the Victorian facility over the past five years.

According to a statement, the investment will ‘future-proof its local operations for years to come’.

The investment will support the development of a 7,800sqm manufacturing facility dedicated to the production of Single Serve Pouches, including two additional lines with a combined yearly capacity of 25kT – around 290 million pouches of cat food initially.

The new facility will primarily serve the Australian and New Zealand markets and the growth of both existing and new product ranges across the company’s well-known WHISKAS, ADVANCE, OPTIMUM, and DINE brands.

The General Manager of Mars Petcare Australia Craig Sargeant said: “As a market leader, we are committed to bolstering our local operations by sourcing and making most of our portfolio right here in Australia.

“This significant investment will allow us to respond to pet trends including the continued rise in cat ownership – growing at nearly four percent per year – more than twice as fast as our dog population.

“We’re also seeing increased demand for convenience, with pouch products representing half of the Australian wet cat food market and growing at nearly 10 percent per year.”

The Victorian Minister for Regional Development Harriet Shing said that as pet ownership continues to increase, there were enormous opportunities for businesses like Mars to expand.

Shing said: “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.”

Mars Petcare/Wodonga factory floor