New Zealand Riverland Foods Ltd opened it new pet food processing facility in Christchurch, which has the capacity to produce 30 million cans per year.

The state-of-the-art plant cost NZ$35 million and will help Riverland’s focus on selling to Asia and other international markets.

General manager Michael Dance said: “Today is a double celebration, as we are opening our factory and we’re signing our first two contracts to make pet food for overseas brands.”

The inaugural customers for the new Christchurch plant are United Laboratories International Holdings Ltd. (United Labs) from China and Talentail from Australia.

“We’re thrilled to be able to start a partnership with two well respected companies and we look forward to a continued relationship with them and agreeing terms with further clients in a few weeks,” Dance said.

Writing on LinkedIn, the company added: “Today, we proudly opened the doors to our newest pet food manufacturing facility, marked by the cutting of the ribbon at the hands of New Zealand Trade Minister Todd McClay.

“We welcomed leading figures from the manufacturing and export sectors to share in the unveiling of a facility that aims to elevate New Zealand’s standing in the international pet food market.

“We were able to showcase our state-of-the-art production lines and the sustainable practices we’re focused on. The engagement and conversations sparked among industry leaders reflect the potential for new partnerships and future growth.

“As we are opening our factory and we’re signing our first two contracts to make pet food for overseas brands. We’re excited to start delivering our high-quality products to United Labs and Talentail.

“A huge THANK YOU to the Riverland team whose efforts and dedication over the last couple of years to get us to this opening stage.”