Sunshine Mills, a pet food and treat producer headquartered in Alabama, is expanding its manufacturing capacity through the acquisition of Red Collar Pet Foods’ production facility located in Joplin, Missouri.
The sale price of the plant has not been disclosed by either company.
The acquisition of the facility will grant Sunshine Mills additional production capabilities for making both baked and cold-formed pet treats.
Situated in a central US location, the Joplin site also facilitates more streamlined nationwide distribution of Sunshine Mills’ products, according to the company. The facility boasts over 200,000 square feet of production and warehouse space.
Approximately 130 employees are currently employed at the facility, possessing expertise in the production of baked biscuits and cold-formed treats for both dogs and cats.
Sunshine Mills is set to assume control of operations at the Joplin site immediately.
Greg Wolking, president and CEO at Red Collar Pet Foods said, “We are thrilled to see the knowledgeable and engaged team of associates at Joplin join the like-minded family at Sunshine Mills”.
“We now look forward to crossing paths with them as our industry colleagues while Red Collar continues to serve customers and key retailers.”
Red Collar Pet Foods, a manufacturer specializing in private-label pet food and treats, is headquartered in Franklin, Tennessee. In 2018, the company was acquired by the private equity group Abor Investments from Mars Petcare.
The Joplin facility is among several Red Collar plants that have been purchased in recent years. Earlier this year, Nestlé acquired the company’s factory in Miami, Oklahoma.
In August of 2022, Hill’s Pet Nutrition, a subsidiary of Colgate-Palmolive, acquired three Red Collar plants for a total of $700 million.
