Nestlé Purina completes US$530M pet food plant expansion in Hungary

HUNGARY – Nestlé has completed a HUF193 billion (US$530 million) investment at its Purina pet food plant in Bük, Hungary, increasing annual production capacity by more than 100,000 tonnes to as much as 500,000 tonnes.

The investment marks the completion of a five-year development programme at the site, which added three production facilities and a fully automated high-bay warehouse with capacity for 50,000 pallets.

Nestlé acquired the Bük factory in 1998 and has invested a total of HUF325 billion (US$893 million) in its development since then. 

The facility has grown into one of the company’s largest pet food plants in Europe, with about 95% of its production exported to nearly 50 countries.

The latest expansion is designed to support higher production and export volumes, with the automated warehouse providing additional storage capacity alongside the new manufacturing facilities.

The investment has also created 600 jobs in recent years, taking employment at the Bük site to about 1,800 people.

Nestlé said the development has strengthened its Hungarian supplier network, with the company currently working with about 1,500 domestic suppliers. 

These suppliers provide raw materials, packaging materials and other services worth around HUF75 billion (US$206 million) annually.

At the inauguration, Nestlé Hungária managing director Péter Noszek said the investment would create long-term value for local communities while supporting employment, domestic agriculture and small and medium-sized businesses.

The company said the Bük facility represents Hungary’s largest food-industry development and further strengthens the country’s role in international pet food manufacturing.

With production capacity now reaching up to 500,000 tonnes annually, the expanded site is positioned to support Nestlé’s growing pet food exports from Hungary to markets across Europe and beyond.

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