By Pet Product News Staff

Published:

From left to right: Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb and first lady Janet with their family dog Henry; Richmond Mayor Dave Snow; General Mills Chairman and CEO Jeff Harmening; Blue Buffalo Founder Bill Bishop; Blue Buffalo President Pet Segment Billy Bishop; Vice President of Operations Chip Burns; Senior Vice President of Supply Chain Choo Lim; Heartland Richmond Plant Manager Travis Moore.

Blue Buffalo

Blue Buffalo recently opened a $200 million manufacturing plant in Richmond, Ind. The 400,000-square-foot facility is expected to 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 Minneapolis-based 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, according to company officials. The plant reportedly has the capacity to produce more than one 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 CEO. “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, Mo. Blue Buffalo is based in Wilton, Conn.