SEWARD, NEBRASKA, US — Scoular’s pet food subsidiary, Petsource, opened its new freeze-dried pet food ingredient manufacturing facility in Seward, Nebraska, US.

The $50 million facility will begin operations in October. The 105,000-square-foot manufacturing facility is located in the Seward/Lincoln Regional Rail Campus. Petsource is expected to create up to 100 jobs once fully operational.

“We are excited to drive innovation in the pet food industry and encouraged by our customers’ enthusiasm for the capabilities within our new facility,” said Amy Patterson, general manager of Petsource.  “We look forward to creating new partnerships with our customers by bringing product development together with meat processing, freeze drying and packaging to provide a complete freeze-dried pet food supply chain.”

Petsource will develop, procure, freeze-dry and package high-protein ingredients as a contract partner for pet food manufacturers. The facility includes a testing laboratory where new pet food ingredients, such as freeze-dried whole organ meats and meat analogue recipes, are created.

“On behalf of Scoular, I want to thank the greater Seward community and State of Nebraska for their support of and enthusiasm for the Petsource operation from start to finish,” said Paul Maass, chief executive officer of Scoular. “Scoular is proud to invest in the state we have called home for 128 years.”

The ribbon cutting ceremony of the new facility was attended by Pete Ricketts, governor of Nebraska, Don Bacon, US representative, and Seward-area civic leaders.

“Scoular has been creating opportunities for Nebraskans for over a century,” Ricketts said. “The Petsource operation brings great jobs to Seward, and we’re grateful for Scoular’s ongoing commitment to growing its business in the Cornhusker State.”

The opening also included a tour of the pet food ingredient manufacturing facility.

“Nebraska is the center of agriculture in the United States because of the quality commodities we grow and raise along with the innovation that is generated by such companies as Scoular,” Bacon said. “This Petsource facility highlights the rich resources available in our community but also the brilliant and ingenious talent produced by our Nebraska educational institutions.”

Scoular, in business for 128 years, has offices and facilities worldwide and more than $4 billion in sales. The company provides global and diverse supply chain solutions for end-users and suppliers of grain, feed ingredients and food ingredients.