WILTON, Conn., May 31, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Blue Buffalo (Nasdaq:BUFF), the nation's leading natural pet food company, is pleased to announce the acquisition of land for its new Heartland Pet Food Manufacturing complex on 89 acres in Richmond, Indiana. The complex will include a state of the art pet food manufacturing plant, an R&D facility and an attached warehouse.
"This is a very big day for Blue Buffalo," said Chairman and Founder Bill Bishop. "This new, state of the art addition to our manufacturing network will complement our facility in Missouri. We expect to further increase our internal production capacity and now will have two of the most modern manufacturing facilities in the pet food industry. Additionally, we plan to open a state of the art R&D facility on our premises. We are also very proud of our plan to create over 160 full time jobs and look forward to being an upstanding partner in the Richmond community."
While multiple sites were evaluated as a possible home for the plant, according to Kurt Schmidt, Blue Buffalo's CEO, "The town of Richmond really impressed us. The location of Richmond is ideal for Blue Buffalo, and this coupled with the strong work ethic embedded here in Richmond made this the perfect choice for us. We look forward to being a part of the community for many years to come.”
Construction is expected to commence in the second half of 2016.
About Blue Buffalo
Blue Buffalo, based in Wilton, CT, is the nation's leading natural pet food company, and provides natural foods and treats for dogs and cats under its BLUE Life Protection Formula, BLUE Wilderness, BLUE Basics, BLUE Freedom and BLUE Natural Veterinary Diet lines. Paying tribute to its founding mission, the Company, through the Blue Buffalo Foundation, is also a leading sponsor of pet cancer awareness and of critical studies of pet cancer, health, treatment and nutrition at top veterinary medical schools across the United States. For more information about Blue Buffalo, visit the Company’s website at www.BlueBuffalo.com.