Nov. 16, 2022 at 10:13 pm

Alliance Freeze Dry Group hosts groundbreaking ceremony for the world-class freeze-dried pet food facilities in Lynden, Washington State, USA

November 16, 2022no commentNo tags

WASHINGTON, Nov. 16, 2022 /CNW/ – On October 21st, 2022, Alliance Freeze Dry Group (AFD Group) achieved a new milestone by hosting the groundbreaking ceremony of AFD Group’s third freeze-dried pet food factory in the City of Lynden, Washington State, USA. Participating in the ceremony were officials from the City of Lynden and the port of Bellingham, as well as Washington State, AFD Group’s major client representatives, local business leaders, engineering professionals, and the general contractor. This new plant is not only the AFD Group’s largest facility expansion to-date, but also one of the largest freeze-dried pet food factories in North America. The 200,000-square-foot building features a freezer, a pre-processing area, a freeze-drying section, a packaging area, and an automated storage and retrieval system warehouse. The new plant will adopt advanced processing technologies and fully automated production lines, which will make it a highly efficient and flexible digital plant, ready for future intelligent manufacturing. The new factory is planned to be operational in 2024 and will provide 4,000 metric tons of annual production capacity. The new factory is named “Canature Kitchen Lynden” and will create 74 new job opportunities.

Canature Kitchen (Lynden), one of North America's largest freeze dry pet food factories, will reside in the City of Lynden, WA, USA (CNW Group/Alliance Freeze Dry Group) — Canature Kitchen (Lynden), one of North America’s largest freeze dry pet food factories, will reside in the City of Lynden, WA, USA (CNW Group/Alliance Freeze Dry Group)

Founded in Langley in British Columbia, Canada, in 2010, AFD Group, along with its subsidiary Canature Processing Ltd, upholds the mission of “Healthier Pets and Happier Lives” through creating natural, fresh, healthy, and convenient freeze-dried pet foods and treats. AFD Group and Canature not only manufacture under major private-label brands, but also under self-owned brands. AFD Group and Canature’s products have been sold globally and are popular among pet owners and their pets.

Canature Kitchen ( Lynden ) Groundbreaking Ceremony (CNW Group/Alliance Freeze Dry Group)

According to Mr. Gary Xu, the founder and president of Alliance Freeze Dry Group, “Freeze-dried meals and treats preserve the natural flavor and form, as well as the nutrition, of the raw food, and are easily rehydrated and absorbed. Hence, freeze-dried products have become more and more popular and are increasingly acclaimed as superstars in the natural and healthy pet food sector. With our strong technological advantage, AFD Group will continually innovate its products, processes and equipment to satisfy changing market demands. At the same time, while we are growing rapidly, we emphasize environmental protection and sustainability, for we only have one shared Earth.”

“The City of Lynden is proud to welcome another state-of-the-art industrial facility,” said the Mayor of City of Lynden, Scott Korthuis, “we appreciate the investment that the Alliance Freeze Dry Group is making in our city, knowing that it represents both job opportunities and regional economic benefit. Lynden has found a supportive partner in the Alliance Group. They have contributed to public infrastructure improvements and designed a striking Canature Kitchen facility that we can all be proud of. It’s clear that Alliance doesn’t simply want to conduct business in the city, but that they are a stakeholder, keen to become an integral part of the Lynden business community.”

Food Facility Engineering (FFE) is the architectural and engineering firm who is leading the design of this facility. Dave Franklin, the principal of FFE, states that “we are very pleased to work with AFD Group’s experienced factory experts who have demonstrated a solid understanding of freeze-drying technologies. Combined with our over 70 years of expertise specializing in food facility building design, we will bring to life a large-scale, highly efficient, flexible and environmentally friendly freeze-dried pet food facility which is GMP compliant.”

The new Canature Kitchen facility will be constructed by the Fisher Construction Group. “Fisher is proud to be Alliance’s construction partner in bringing their vision to life,” said Chris Lang, Vice President of Fisher Construction Group, “We will focus on quality, safety, punctuality and environmental protection in completing this iconic factory.”

Mr. Ocean Tang, Sr. Vice President of ADW Acosta North America, expressed: “AFD Group/Canature’s products are well perceived by the consumers in North America, and they would be excited about AFD Group’s new expansion. Today, the demand for freeze-dried pet food is strong, and ADW Acosta and AFD Group share the same responsibility of satisfying our clients’ needs.”

After the new plant starts operation, AFD Group/Canature will continue to provide a wide variety of pet meals and pet treats, packed with the highest nutrition for a great value.

About Alliance Freeze Dry Group and its Subsidiary Canature

Alliance Freeze Dry Group (AFD Group) was established in the city of Langley, British Columbia, Canada, in 2010. Over the past 10 years, AFD Group has become one of the largest freeze-dried pet food and pet treat manufacturers in North America. Today, they possess 3,000 metric tons of freeze-dried production capacity and are building two new factories for an additional 6,000 metric tons of production capacity in the US.

Canature, AFD Group’s operating subsidiary, is manufacturing and marketing both a house-brand and private-label freeze-dried pet food and treats. With a strong research and development team, coupled with an innovative engineering team, AFD Group and Canature are able to develop and manufacture full meals, treats, and toppers in various kinds of formats (diced, extruded, formed, powdered, etc.) and in a wide array of packages under Canature’s own brands, or under a client’s private labels.

AFD Group and Canature’s own NutriBites brand freeze-dried pet products have been sold across the US and Canada through major channels such as Costco.

Quality is the key. AFD Group and Canature implement a comprehensive quality management system and follow GMP- and HACCP-based food safety plans. AFD Group’s factories are SQF Level 3 certified.