Blue Buffalo Opens Richmond, Indiana Natural Pet Food Plant

RICHMOND, Ind., June 18, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Blue Buffalo, the nation's largest natural pet food brand, announced yesterday the opening of its newest manufacturing plant, a $200 million facility in Richmond, Indiana. Part of the General Mills family of brands, Blue Buffalo products are made with natural ingredients and specifically formulated to provide dogs and cats with superior nutrition.

The new 400,000-square-foot plant will create 165 full-time jobs in food processing, quality assurance, maintenance and plant management. The 125-acre campus in Richmond increases the U.S. production capacity of BLUE Life Protection Formula, BLUE Wilderness, BLUE Basics and BLUE Freedom dry dog and cat foods.

"Blue Buffalo is focused on enhancing the health of pets by providing dog and cat food made with the highest quality wholesome, natural ingredients," said Billy Bishop, President of Blue Buffalo Pet Foods, a division of General Mills Inc. "Our new state-of-the-art plant in Richmond exceeds industry standards in food safety and product quality, and will allow Blue Buffalo to feed more pets and reach more pet parents wherever they shop." 

The new plant features best in class hygienic design, which fully leverages human food standards. The plant has the capacity to produce more than 1 million pounds of dry dog and cat food per day.

"With this expanded manufacturing capability, General Mills and Blue Buffalo can better meet the growing demand for pet food made with natural ingredients," said Jeff Harmening, General Mills Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "This new plant is another example of General Mills accelerating the growth of our natural and organic brands. As an Indiana native, I'm also proud that Blue Buffalo is creating jobs and fueling the local economy in Richmond and surrounding areas."   

Construction of the new plant in Richmond started in 2016. This is Blue Buffalo's second company-owned manufacturing plant, with the first facility located in Joplin, Missouri. Blue Buffalo products can be found at pet specialty stores and grocery, drug store, and mass merchandise retailers in North America as well as Amazon.com, Chewy.com and other online stores.

"Job creators around the world continue to choose to grow their operations in Indiana because of our low costs and highly-skilled Hoosier workforce," said Indiana Governor Eric J. Holcomb. "Companies like General Mills and Blue Buffalo are taking notice, and we're thrilled for them to make their premium pet food in the strongest manufacturing state in the country. Blue Buffalo's Indiana growth will provide quality career opportunities to Hoosiers, and we look forward to their many years of success in our state."

About Blue Buffalo

Based in Wilton, CT, Blue Buffalo is the nation's leading natural pet food brand, and provides natural foods and treats for dogs and cats under its BLUE Life Protection Formula, BLUE Wilderness, BLUE Basics, BLUE Freedom and BLUE Natural Veterinary Diet product lines. Paying tribute to its founding mission, the company has contributed more than $30 million for pet cancer awareness and critical studies of pet cancer, health, treatment and nutrition at top research organizations and veterinary colleges across the United States. For more information, visit www.BlueBuffalo.com. 

About General Mills

General Mills is a leading global food company that serves the world by making food people love. Its brands include Cheerios, Annie's, Yoplait, Nature Valley, Häagen-Dazs, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Old El Paso, Wanchai Ferry, Yoki, BLUE and more. Headquartered in Minneapolis, MN, General Mills generated fiscal 2018 proforma net sales of U.S. $17.0 billion, including $1.3 billion from Blue Buffalo. In addition, General Mills' share of non-consolidated joint venture net sales totaled U.S. $1.1 billion.

SOURCE Blue Buffalo