Tailored from a press launch
New Zealand Riverland Meals Ltd. (Riverland) has formally opened its premium pet meals processing facility in Christchurch. Specialised in co-manufacturing moist diets, the US$21 million (NZ$35 million) state-of-the-art facility holds the capability to supply 30 million cans per yr.
Riverland Meals is concentrated on promoting to Asia and different worldwide markets, mentioned Riverland common supervisor Michael Dance.
“In the present day is a double celebration, as we’re opening our manufacturing unit and we’re signing our first two contracts to make pet meals for abroad manufacturers,” mentioned Dance.
Riverland’s mentioned its plant is a primary for New Zealand because it produces solely for its shoppers’ manufacturers, eradicating a problem that restricted New Zealand as a go-to vacation spot for third celebration manufacturing. Riverland’s location in Christchurch is a key benefit because of its proximity to sea and rail transport hyperlinks in addition to suppliers of high quality uncooked supplies used as components in pet meals, defined Dance.
“Canterbury is near a number of suppliers of uncooked produce akin to crimson meat, fish, shellfish, and recent fruit,” he defined. “And its meat merchandise are sourced from animals reared on pasture-based techniques and have good provenance, which our prospects see as extremely fascinating.”
Inaugural prospects: United Labs and Talentail
Signing immediately as inaugural prospects for the plant’s output have been United Laboratories Worldwide Holdings Ltd. (United Labs) from China and Talentail from Australia.
“We’re thrilled to have the ability to begin a partnership with two effectively revered firms and we sit up for a continued relationship with them and agreeing phrases with additional shoppers in a couple of weeks,” Dance mentioned.
United Labs is listed on the Hong Kong inventory trade and certainly one of its subsidiaries focuses on animal medicines for veterinarians and pet hospitals.
“The United Labs subsidiary has been seeking to develop its personal pet meals vary and they also’ve come to us to assist launch a spread of cat meals, every with a useful element to focus on a specific dietary want, which might be for pores and skin and coat, or maybe intestine well being,” mentioned Dance.
Talentail is a longtime model in Australia at present supplying dry pet meals to their world markets and desires to diversify by including moist meals to its vary. Whereas dry pet meals have their benefits, moist meals usually include greater ranges of protein and minerals, help pet hydration, and usually supply larger palatability, mentioned Dance. Talentail mentioned the addition of moist meals will create an excellent mixture of high-quality meals from Oceania area for his or her world prospects.
“We’re open for enterprise to export to Australia, Hong Kong, South Korea, North America and Singapore,” Dance mentioned, including that each one regulatory approvals had been obtained, other than to mainland China, however approval there may be anticipated quickly.
Pet meals is a high-growth marketplace for New Zealand
On the opening on March 19, New Zealand’s Minister for Commerce and Agriculture Todd McClay mentioned pet meals was an rising high-growth marketplace for New Zealand. Business knowledge confirmed New Zealand pet meals exports had quadrupled in lower than a decade, growing from US$48.9 million (NZ$75 million) a yr in 2014 to US$194.2 million (NZ$320 million) in 2023, he mentioned.
“This state-of-the-art facility – an essential new addition to the Christchurch enterprise panorama – will little doubt have a major financial impression going ahead as a worldwide participant in our rising pet meals trade, serving to to carry New Zealand’s high-quality, sustainable, and nutritious pet merchandise to the world,” mentioned McClay.
McClay mentioned New Zealand’s pet meals sector is thought for its emphasis on sustainable practices, catering to rising demand for premium pet meals merchandise globally.
“It has been a pleasure to go to and see first-hand the funding and alternative underpinning this thrilling new enterprise that can little doubt play a key function in increasing and rising our world footprint,” he added.
