Kemin Nutrisurance, the global pet food and rendering technologies business unit of Kemin Industries, recently opened its newly expanded 5,000 sq. m production facility in Vargeão, Brazil.

According to the announcement, the $6 million (25 million reals) expansion increases the facility's raw material capacity by 900% and finished goods storage by 1,500%, allowing Kemin to serve more customers in South America and around the globe.

Kemin noted that Brazil is one of the top pet food markets in the world and pointed out that according to Euromonitor, the country's pet food growth is thought to be driven by more Brazilians moving to urban areas and having children later in life, choosing small dogs and cats as companions, thus increasing the pet population.

The investment in Vargeão generates 50 Kemin jobs and boosts the local economy by way of construction jobs, raw-material sourcing and taxes, Kemin said. Most of the facility's production will support customers in Brazil and other South American countries.

"This facility is the largest contributor in terms of taxes returned to the Vargeão community," said Valdir Lucatelli, general manager of Kemin Nutrisurance in South America. "Kemin is proud to help support local education and the health and safety of this community."

The new facility includes a research and development center, expanded storage and state-of-the-art production equipment. A new spray dryer was installed to support Kemin's line of pet health and nutrition ingredients, including protein hydrolysates and functional ingredients, the company said. The facility will also support Kemin's palatant product lines, which include meat and plant-based flavorants for pet products.

The facility is currently certified to serve countries in South America and Europe and is in the process of approval in the U.S. It is GMP certified for food safety and quality and uses a LEAN manufacturing program for process and product quality improvement, Kemin said, adding that it is also finalizing food safety certification FSSC 22000.

Kemin Industries is a global ingredient manufacturer that strives to sustainably transform the quality of life every day for 80% of the world with its products and services. The company supplies more than 500 specialty ingredients for the human and animal health and nutrition, pet food, aquaculture, nutraceutical, food technology, crop technology and textile industries.

Established in 1961, Kemin is a privately held, family-owned and -operated company with more than 2,800 global employees and operations in 90 countries, including manufacturing facilities in Belgium, Brazil, China, India, Italy, Russia, San Marino, Singapore, South Africa and the U.S.