Champion Petfoods cooks up innovation

Edmonton, Alta. – Champion Petfoods LP has established a $5.9 million research and innovation centre to help the company investigate new pet foods and new ways of making its pet foods.

The research and innovation centre is built in the company’s Morinville home and is a 9,500 sq.-ft. facility.

“Although our markets are global,” says Frank Burdzy, Champion’s president and CEO, “Morinville is our home. We are both fortunate and proud to build our new research and innovation facility right here, where our story really began.”

The company, reports the EdmontonJournal.com, will look to produce pet foods that meet the company’s mandate of biologically appropriate, fresh regional ingredients and never outsourced – also known as BAFRINO.

The centre is set up campus-style and will have a staff of eight food scientists and state-of-the-art production and analysis equipment when it opens in the spring of 2015.

The centre will also be working closely with the new $1.6 million pilot-scale extruder at the University of Alberta, which was partly funded by Champion.

The centre will focus on developing new fresh meat processing technologies aimed at further increasing the fresh meat inclusions in Champion’s Biologically Appropriate dog and cat foods.

Champion Petfoods is Canada’s largest independent pet-food maker and produces the brands ACANA and Orijen.

The privately held company has facilities in Oakville, Ont. and in Morinville and distributes its products in Canada, in Europe and in Asia.

In April, the company also announced that it’s building a new kitchen in Auburn, Ken., which is close to many ranches, farms and growers, providing access to local ingredients. This kitchen is set to open in 2016 and will only make its ACANA and Orijen brands.