Purina opens its Batavia pet food factory in Ohio

Batavia factory opens

Nestlé Purina PetCare celebrated the opening of its Batavia, Ohio factory on August 31, 2026. The 1.3-million-square-foot facility represents an investment exceeding $550 million and is the company’s first factory built from the ground up since 1975. It becomes Purina’s 24th US factory.

The plant makes Purina Pro Plan, Purina ONE and Dog Chow. More than 430 people work there, with employment expected to exceed 500 when fully operational. Its equipment includes robotics, digital manufacturing tools and an automated storage and retrieval system.

The original Ohio project

Purina announced its investment on October 26, 2020, selecting South Afton Industrial Park in Williamsburg Township. Its initial design covered 1.2 million square feet. Construction was scheduled to start that autumn, with operations expected in 2023 and employment planned to exceed 300 by 2024. Those were the project’s original targets.

The proposed jobs included production operators, engineers, technical specialists and professional staff. Ohio’s Development Services Agency approved a Job Creation Tax Credit for the project. Purina’s environmental design commitments at the announcement included:

• Recovering and reusing heat and water in production.
• Sending no waste for disposal.
• Moving toward renewable electricity as quickly as practicable.

These commitments accompanied the initial factory proposal; they were not measurements of the completed plant’s environmental performance. The new Ohio operation was part of Purina’s wider US manufacturing expansion.

Production preceded the ceremony

By May 26, 2026, the Batavia factory was already making dry cat and dog food and employed more than 340 people. Purina announced that month that it would hold the grand opening in August. The workforce figure described operations at that earlier stage, while the company retained its plan for more than 500 employees at full operation.

Purina’s local involvement also preceded the celebration. By the May announcement, the company had contributed more than $346,000 through the Purina Foundation to Clermont County organizations. Recipients included emergency services, law enforcement and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. The location forms part of the Cincinnati region’s food-manufacturing ecosystem, which Purina described as encompassing more than 300 food and flavoring companies.