Freshpet Breaks Ground on Expanded Kitchens Campus

Significant Kitchen expansion expected to create 200 jobs and feed more pets

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Jun 25, 2019, 10:00 ET

SECAUCUS, N.J., June 25, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Freshpet, Inc., the leader in fresh, real food for pets, today held a groundbreaking ceremony to begin the construction of its second Freshpet Kitchen, which is aimed to increase production of the company's signature fresh pet food. The new site will be located at 146 North Commerce Way, Bethlehem, PA 18017, which is a part of the campus on which Freshpet's current Kitchen resides.

In a ceremony featuring two of the Company's co-founders, Scott Morris and Cathal Walsh, numerous members of local government and economic development resources, who supported the expansion, along with Freshpet's first two employees, the Company broke ground in a fashion one would expect from a company dedicated to pets – with dogs digging the first hole to inaugurate construction.

The expanded Freshpet Kitchens campus will include the renovation of an existing 50,000 square foot building on the campus, as well as the addition of an incremental 90,000 square feet to that building. Scheduled to begin operating in the third quarter of 2020, Freshpet estimates hiring around 100 team members by the time that production begins. The company will employ 100 additional team members when the Kitchens are operating at full capacity, generating a total of 200 new job opportunities.

"The expansion of the Freshpet Kitchens campus reflects our commitment to continually improving the way we make Freshpet – and will help us achieve our goal of changing the way people feed their pets. We believe our pets deserve fresh and natural food just like the other members of our family," said Billy Cyr, CEO of Freshpet. "This new Kitchen will significantly expand our capacity and enable us to satisfy more pets while simultaneously improving quality, cost and safety."

The new Kitchen includes numerous innovations designed to improve the Company's impact on pets, people and the planet, an important part of Freshpet's mission. First, the expanded Kitchen is designed to further improve the quality of Freshpet foods, creating outstanding meals that both nourish and satisfy the pets we love. It will also offer significant safety enhancements to ensure that Freshpet team members continue to work in the best possible environment. Additionally, similar to the existing Freshpet Kitchen, the site will recycle all rainwater and will be powered by wind power credits.

Freshpet is dedicated to providing the highest quality nutrition for pets while simultaneously protecting the planet through sustainable business practices. The company, who recently committed to planting 28,000 trees this year, operates Freshpet Kitchens at zero-waste-to-landfill and uses 100% wind energy. The new Kitchen will follow suit in that sustainability effort. The Company has nearly doubled its sales every three years since 2009, with over 2.5 million households feeding Freshpet today. Freshpet can be found in over 20,000 fridges across the US, UK and Canada and in large retailers like Walmart, Target, Petco and PetSmart.

About Freshpet
Freshpet's mission is to improve the lives of dogs and cats through the power of fresh, real food. Freshpet foods are blends of fresh meats, vegetables and fruits farmed locally and made at our Kitchens in Bethlehem, PA. We thoughtfully prepare our foods using natural ingredients, cooking them in small batches at lower temperatures to preserve the natural goodness of the ingredients. Freshpet foods and treats are kept refrigerated from the moment they are made until they arrive at Freshpet Fridges in your local market.

Our foods are available in select mass, grocery (including online), natural food, club, and pet specialty retailers across the United States, Canada and Europe. From the care we take to source our ingredients and make our food, to the moment it reaches your home, our integrity, transparency and social responsibility are the way we like to run our business.

Media Contact
Shayla Ridore for Freshpet
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (212) 334- 9753 Ext. 101

SOURCE Freshpet