# Nestlé Purina North America

> Nestlé Purina North America is the St. Louis-based pet-care business behind a broad portfolio of dog food, cat food, treats, supplements, veterinary diets and litter, including Purina Pro Plan, Purina ONE, Dog Chow, Friskies, Fancy Feast and Tidy Cats. It combines mass retail distribution and U.S. manufacturing with nutrition research, veterinary relationships and digital tools, serving pet owners across price points and health needs while operating as part of Nestlé rather than as a separately funded company.

- **Founded:** 1894
- **Headquarters:** St. Louis, United States
- **Founders:** William H. Danforth (Co-founder), George Robinson (Co-founder), William Andrews (Co-founder)
- **Team size:** More than 11,000 U.S. associates reported by Purina in May 2026; LinkedIn lists the North America organization in the 5,001-10,000 employee band.
- **Products:** Purina Pro Plan, Purina ONE, Dog Chow, Puppy Chow, Cat Chow and Kitten Chow, Fancy Feast and Friskies, Tidy Cats
- **Notable:** Founded the predecessor business in St. Louis in 1894 and retained the checkerboard identity through more than a century of category change., Introduced extrusion-made Dog Chow kibble in 1956, helping define the modern dry pet-food format., Established a pet nutrition and care center in 1926; Purina now describes a global roster of nearly 500 scientists, veterinarians and pet-care experts.

## Products & services

- **Purina Pro Plan** — Science-led dog and cat nutrition spanning everyday, sport, sensitive-system and veterinary-exclusive formulas.
- **Purina ONE** — Widely distributed natural dog and cat food positioned around visible health and life-stage needs.
- **Dog Chow, Puppy Chow, Cat Chow and Kitten Chow** — Mass-market nutrition brands for dogs and cats across ages and household budgets.
- **Fancy Feast and Friskies** — Cat-food portfolios led by wet meals, dry recipes, treats and variety formats.
- **Tidy Cats** — Cat litter and litter systems, including lightweight and Breeze formats.
- **Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets** — Therapeutic diets and supplements used under veterinary guidance for defined health needs.
- **FortiFlora** — Veterinary probiotic supplements for canine and feline digestive health.
- **Purina pet-care tools and content** — Breed, nutrition and care guidance, product finders, rewards and direct digital experiences for pet owners.

## Achievements

- Founded the predecessor business in St. Louis in 1894 and retained the checkerboard identity through more than a century of category change.
- Introduced extrusion-made Dog Chow kibble in 1956, helping define the modern dry pet-food format.
- Established a pet nutrition and care center in 1926; Purina now describes a global roster of nearly 500 scientists, veterinarians and pet-care experts.
- Launched Pro Plan in 1986 using a process that made real meat the first ingredient in kibble.
- Built specialized nutrition including hypoallergenic, joint mobility and diabetic-management veterinary diets, plus FortiFlora probiotics.
- Opened a converted factory in Eden, North Carolina, in 2024 as part of a planned $2 billion U.S. factory and capital expansion program from 2020 through 2025.
- Prepared to formally open a $550 million Batavia, Ohio, facility in August 2026, its first ground-up U.S. factory construction since 1975 and its 24th U.S. plant.
- Awarded more than $1.5 million in non-dilutive support through the Pet Care Innovation Prize over its first decade.

## Latest updates

- **2026-07** — Purina said its canine-sports docuseries A Different Breed received three Daytime Emmy Award nominations.
- **2026-06** — The Purina Institute Global Summit brought veterinary professionals from more than 100 countries together around practical preventive care.
- **2026-05** — Purina announced an August grand opening for its $550 million Batavia, Ohio, dry pet-food factory, which was already producing Pro Plan, Purina ONE and Dog Chow.
- **2026-01** — Five startups won the 2026 Pet Care Innovation Prize, each receiving $25,000 and access to Purina mentorship.
- **2025-08** — Purina and U.S. Soccer announced a partnership running through 2030.
- **2025-05** — Purina opened applications for its 2026 human-animal bond research sponsorship program.

## Links

- Website: https://www.purina.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nestl-purina-north-america
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/purina
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ThePurinaNetwork
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/purina
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/purina
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@purina

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Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-13