Champion Petfoods has announced the opening of its CAD$32 million Global Innovation and Discovery Centre, a new pilot facility located at the company’s NorthStar Kitchen in Acheson, Alberta. The investment, made by parent company Mars Incorporated, is designed to support the development of Biologically Appropriate pet nutrition and strengthen Champion’s global innovation capabilities.
The facility will enable Champion to develop, evaluate and refine new recipes, proprietary technologies and product concepts for markets worldwide. Working within a small-scale development environment, the company’s scientists, nutritionists, veterinarians and product developers will be able to test market-specific recipes and technologies for the company’s ORIJEN and ACANA brands before transferring successful concepts to commercial-scale production.
The new centre forms part of a wider investment programme that includes a further CAD$15 million planned for Champion’s Canadian facilities over the next five years to support production, packaging and sustainability initiatives. This follows CAD$591 million invested in Canadian manufacturing operations during the past decade.
“This facility empowers our Associates to push the boundaries of pet nutrition, developing nutrient-rich foods with the speed, safety and scientific rigour that pet lovers expect from us. It’s an investment in the future of nutrition for cats and dogs and in our deep-rooted Canadian heritage,” said Stacey Osborn.
The centre also reinforces Champion’s commitment to sourcing ingredients from Alberta and across Canada, drawing on regional agricultural networks to support ingredient quality and local economic activity. The company said the facility will further support its upcycling initiatives by enhancing the nutritional value of ingredients through proprietary processing expertise.
Champion’s innovation strategy also includes collaborations with researchers and veterinarians at the University of Calgary and the University of Guelph. The company stated that many findings from these university-led studies will be made publicly available to support wider advances in pet nutrition research.
“At Champion Petfoods, true innovation is driven by an uncompromising commitment to rigorous research and the high-quality ingredients,” said Jeff Johnston, Senior Vice President, Research, Innovation and Product Development at Champion Petfoods. “This Global Innovation and Discovery Centre uniquely positions us to pioneer breakthrough recipes and proprietary technologies. By bridging evidence-based science with our world-class regional ingredient sourcing, we have the agility to rapidly test and perfect nutrient-dense foods that continue to set the global standard for pet health and nutrition.”
