Pet Food Processing - March 2023 - 18

PROCESSOR PROFILE
Simmons is the
largest privatelabel
and contract
manufacturer of
wet pet food in
North America.
Its formulations
include meat cuts
in gravy, loafs
and pâtés, and
shredded meat, fish
and poultry.
In addition to the new fourth line, the company has
invested over $30 million to increase the speed of its
3-oz canning line by 50% and increase the speed of its
cup packaging line in its Flex plant by 50%.
Simmons wet food selections include loafs and pâtés,
meat cuts in gravy, shredded meat, fish and poultry, and
broths and purees. Product is packaged in 3-oz and 5.5oz
aluminum cans; 5.5-oz, 13.2-oz and 22-oz steel cans;
3-oz, 3.5-oz and 5.3-oz pouches; and 2.7-oz, 3.5-oz cups
in addition to split cups.
Category management analysis and market research
has shown that over the last five years ending in 2022,
the wet pet food category has annually grown faster than
the dry pet food category. Chicago-based market research
firm IRI reported that the wet dog food category
grew 14.2% from August 2021 to August 2022, and wet
cat food grew 14.4% over the same time frame - compared
to 12.3% and 13.2% growth for dry dog and cat
food, respectively.
" As we go and talk to co-manufacturer customers and
when we talk to retailers, we don't just walk in say 'What
do you want us to make?' We walk in with a category
review. We are providing that category management expertise, "
said Scott Roberts, senior vice president of business
development and sales operations.
" We have a category that continues to grow, " he added.
" We are expanding our capacities as fast as we can to
respond to demand - we're driving new capabilities as
fast as we can... We have co-manufacturers that come to
us and talk to us about future-forward innovation. We're
in a unique position as an industry advisor to help with
that innovation. "
Last summer, Simmons continued its multi-phase
expansion with the addition of its second line to its
Dubuque, Iowa, canning plant. The 275,000-square-foot
plant opened in July 2021 following a $100 million investment.
Each line in the Dubuque plant has the capacity
to produce 30,000 lbs of canned product per hour.
18 PET FOOD PROCESSING | March 2023 | www.petfoodprocessing.net
Industry expertise
" Our mission is to nourish and delight the pets we
love by being the most trusted partner in the industry, "
Roberts said.
As a company that produces food not only for pets
but for humans as well, Simmons has the unique capability
of being able to tap into research and development
expertise from both sides of the aisle. While the companies
are separate entities, knowledge is shared across
sectors on a regular basis.
" We feed both families and the pets they love - we're
in a really unique position, " said Craig Bacon, Ph.D., senior
vice president of technical services. " We're a large
manufacturer to a lot of the foodservice industry and,
likewise, we're providing innovation to them. "
The innovation on the pet food side often mirrors
what's being done on the human side of the business.
Leah Lambrakis, vice president of research and develRounding
out its $500 million expansion plan is the
company's investment in packaging automation at its
new 1 million-square-foot distribution hub in Edgerton.
Product from its Emporia, Dubuque and Streetsville,
Ontario, locations will be shipped to the warehouse,
sorted into multi- and variety packs and distributed to
customers and retailers nationwide from one singular
site. The centralized distribution center will provide
much-needed warehouse capacity, as well as streamline
the distribution of highly sought out variety packs of wet
dog and cat food.
Our mission is to nourish
and delight the pets we love
by being the most trusted
partner in the industry. "
Scott Roberts, Simmons Pet Food
http://www.petfoodprocessing.net
Pet Food Processing - March 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pet Food Processing - March 2023
