Paw-fection: Wodonga pet food factory expanded
11/06/2026We’ve supported an upgrade to Mars Petcare’s factory in Wodonga – and, with works now complete, it’s set to have cats and their owners ‘feline-fine’ as production ramps up on cat food pouch products.
The multi-million-dollar expansion and fit-out of the new 7,800m² manufacturing area has created more than 65 full-time jobs and installed:
- autonomous mobile robots
- automated packaging systems
- a hydrostatic cooker.
The upgrades have helped to expand the company’s Wodonga workforce to nearly 500 and brought manufacturing of its popular cat food pouch products into Victoria.
With works complete and staff in place, Mars Petcare Wodonga is ready to increase production to more than 290 million single-serve cat food pouches for the Australian and New Zealand markets each year.
This positions the company to meet a rising demand for the pet food products that are a major segment in the Australian market.
The facility expansion is also supporting the company to deliver new and existing product ranges, including those sold by Whiskas®, Dine®, OPTIMUM™ and Advance™.
Mars Australia is the largest manufacturer of pet care products in Australia, with its 60-year-old Wodonga manufacturing facility being its largest in the Asia Pacific region.
The site is also on track to become the first of its kind in Australia to deploy a 100 per cent renewable energy solution within the next two years.
Victoria’s $37.4 billion manufacturing sector is a driving force of the state’s economy, supporting nearly 260,000 jobs and exporting $29 billion worth of goods.
Across regional Victoria, we’re helping businesses to expand and thrive, including through the Victorian Investment Fund and its dedicated $50 million regional stream.
It’s part of our work to make regional Victoria an even better place to live, work, experience, invest and study.