Purina to invest €50 million at Portogruaro pet food plant by 2029
Nestlé Purina has announced a €50 million investment programme at its Portogruaro factory in Veneto, Italy, to be completed by 2029. The spending will fund an expansion into the super-premium dry pet food segment and a new on-site wastewater treatment plant, reinforcing the site's role as a European production hub as the company also advances a separate new factory in Mantua.
Nestlé Purina has announced a €50 million investment programme at its Portogruaro factory in the Veneto region of north-east Italy, to be deployed between now and 2029, according to a report published by Il Sole 24 Ore on 20 September 2026.
The Portogruaro plant, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary, operates four extrusion lines plus one dedicated to veterinary products, employs 250 people on site and around 400 across Italy, and produces more than 120 different recipes of dry dog and cat food. The factory supplies 37 per cent of the Italian market and exports to 30 countries, making it Purina's leading European centre for kibble production, the article states.
Two specific projects will absorb the new capital. The first is an expansion and modernisation of production capacity targeting the super-premium segment. The second is a new wastewater treatment plant that will allow effluent to be processed directly on site, removing the need for lorry transport to external treatment works. The site already runs entirely on renewable energy and plans to extend its solar panel installation.
Filippo Cesari, plant manager, highlighted the site's broader role within Purina's international network, noting that Portogruaro teams have supported the commissioning of a new production line in Thailand and are currently assisting with a start-up in Turkey.
Fabio Degli Esposti, Managing Director of Purina Italia and Regional Director for Southern Europe, linked the Portogruaro commitment to the company's wider Italian strategy, which also encompasses a recently announced new production hub in Mantua. "With Portogruaro and Mantua, Purina is reaffirming a clear commitment: to continue investing to support the growth of the petcare sector in Europe," he said.
The new super-premium line is described as specifically designed to expand production of hypoallergenic and premium ranges, which incorporate fresh meat and require dedicated line cleaning between production runs. The factory currently conducts 1,400 quality checks per day, including caliper measurement to verify kibble uniformity.
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