Over £6m will be invested into Inspired Pet Nutrition’s (IPN) wet food facility, more than doubling its current capacity. Meanwhile, almost £25m will be used at its Thirsk-based factory to increase its technical capabilities, product range and use of fresh ingredients.
This comes just months after the pet firm celebrated a century of business, evolving from a family-founded animals feeds company in 1923 to a £200m sales business, with the founder’s great grandson at the helm as chairman.
The owner of brands including Harringtons and Wagg, IPN says it is among the UK businesses continuing to invest in capital despite a turbulent economy.
In 2020, it acquired Pet Food UK, adding Barking Heads, Meowing Heads and ATTU to its portfolio.
Moreover, 2022 saw the brand investing more than £6m into its plant at Kinmel in North Wales to triple its wet dog food tray capacity to more than 75m units a year.
“This valuable investment represents IPN’s core values in providing accessible, affordable nutrition. We’ve been developing our recipes and portfolio of brands for a century now and are constantly looking for ways to improve our offering for pet parents,” said Anthony Stones, the company’s chief operating officer.
However, IPN also acknowledges that the demand for premiumisation and humanisation of pet food is also driving the need for investment.
Alongside improving its existing manufacturing processes, IPN is also upstreaming its supply chain.
“By investing in our technical capabilities and upstreaming our supply chain, we have better control over the quality of our recipes and greater traceability of our ingredients,” added Stones.
The company is also looking to upsize its technical team, introduce a new laboratory and invest in real-time testing equipment.
“All this means that there’s continuous improvements both to our products and manufacturing processes.
“Our mission has always been to offer the best quality product possible for any given price point to consumers, and this investment represents our desire to constantly improve on this proposition with a sole intention – to keep pets healthy and owners happy.”
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