Nestlé to invest 6.4 billion baht in Thai pet food expansion

Nestlé is expanding its pet food production capabilities in Thailand with a total investment of 6.4 billion baht (approximately 32 billion yen). The expansion will take place at the Amata City Rayong Industrial Estate in eastern Thailand. The Thailand Board of Investment (BOI) has approved the application for two new facilities: a pet food plant costing 4.5 billion baht and a pet snack plant costing 1.93 billion baht.

This move aims to meet the rising global demand for pet products as pet humanization trends continue. More than 90 percent of the production is intended for export to major markets, including the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. Thailand currently ranks as the world's second-largest exporter of pet food, an industry growing at over 8 percent annually.

The project will also support the local agricultural sector. Nestlé plans to source over 450 million baht worth of domestic raw materials annually. For brands such as Felix, Pro Plan, and Friskies, approximately 56 percent of ingredients will be sourced locally. For pet snacks under the Purina One and Felix brands, the domestic sourcing rate is expected to reach 88 percent. This follows a previous announcement in July regarding a 23 billion baht investment for a new coffee factory, bringing Nestlé's total planned new investment in Thailand through 2026 to over 29 billion baht.