Anchor Ingredients and Barrett Petfood Innovations Partner to Build Premium Freeze- Drying Manufacturing Facility
Anchor Ingredients and Barrett Petfood Innovations have partnered to build a new state-of-the-art freeze-drying manufacturing facility to service the growing demand for freeze-dried pet food and treats. The strategic partnership brings together two of the industry’s fastest growing pet food companies and creates a true one-stop shop for premium pet food brands.
The facility will be located adjacent to Barrett’s new 165,000 sq. ft. co-manufacturing extrusion plant in Little Falls, MN. This facility, combined with Anchor’s ingredient processing and origination expertise, will create the industry’s first centralized pet food manufacturing site for premium brands. “We are excited to add freeze-drying to our portfolio here at Barrett and offer our branded customers a one-stop shop for all of their co-manufacturing needs.” said Tom Barrett, Co-Managing Director of Barrett Petfood Innovations. The new freeze-drying facility will utilize the latest technology and offer unique microbial reduction equipment to ensure evolving food safety requirements are met.
Anchor continues to prioritize value-added processing as the business grows. To date, Anchor has been focused on supporting its customers through the development, procurement, and processing of raw ingredients. The company is excited to continue moving further up-stream in the ingredient value-chain and be able to support its branded customers through co-manufacturing freeze-dried products in the future. “Anchor is hyper focused on innovation and being in a position to support the evolving and dynamic pet food industry. We are excited to now be able to manage our ingredients along the entire value-chain through the partnership with Barrett.” said Al Yablonski, CEO & Co-Founder of Anchor Ingredients.
Anchor and Barrett have a long history of working together and both place value on premium ingredients and exceptional customer service, while never sacrificing on quality control or food safety. The partnership in a freeze-drying facility further enhances the collaboration opportunities into the future. “We both share a common vision of where this industry is going and have always been laser focused on customer service and doing what is right for our customers.” Said Sarah Barrett, Co-Managing Director of Barrett Petfood Innovations.
