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Blog
Latin America’s pet food market is scaling up
Written by Aries Aquitania
Introduction
Latin America is becoming an important growth region in the global pet food industry. Demand is rising, local producers are expanding, and international brands are investing in new capacity. For manufacturers, this creates opportunity, but also pressure on production efficiency, logistics and end-of-line automation.
A region worth watching
The Latin American pet food market is often underestimated. Recent industry analysis suggests the region may be larger than commonly reported, supported by urbanisation, changing households and the growing humanisation of pets. Brazil and Mexico remain two of the most important markets to watch.
Capacity is increasing
Recent investments show strong confidence in the region. Nestlé Purina has announced a US$100 million investment for 2026–2027 to expand its Silao plant in Mexico, strengthening the country’s role as a regional manufacturing hub.
In Brazil, Special Dog Company is building a new facility in Minas Gerais with planned dry pet food capacity of 10,000 metric tons per month. Mars has also opened a wet pet food facility in Ponta Grossa, Paraná, its third pet food plant in Brazil.
Rather than focusing on individual technologies, these events are used to have in-depth conversations about production challenges, future capacity needs and long-term investment decisions within the Latin American petfood market.
According to Diego Clivio, Director of Clivio Solutions, this combination is essential for long-term success in the region.
Growth needs efficiency
Growth does not remove the need for discipline. ADM’s decision to close a large pet food plant in Brazil shows that scale alone is not enough. Cost control, operational fit and reliable production flow remain critical.
As volumes grow, producers may need to review whether their end-of-line systems are ready for higher capacity, more SKUs (stock keeping units) and different bag formats.
Useful questions include:
Conclusion
Latin America is becoming a serious pet food production region. For manufacturers, the next challenge is not only making more product, but moving, stacking and shipping itefficiently. Automating the palletising process is one of the many ways to support this next phase of growth. Would you like to know more about this topic? Feel free to contact Verbruggen.
Aries Aquitania
Key Account Manager – Pet Food
“Latin America is a region we are watching closely, not only because of its growth, but because of the ambition and investment we are seeing from pet food producers across the region.”