Alphia | Pet Food Processing

Alphia was developed in 2020, bringing together several companies in the industry, including American Nutrition, C.J. Foods, Lortscher Animal Nutrition and Veracity Logistics. The company’s logo honors this long-established heritage, as well as a commitment to supporting the industry’s growth. 

Alphia currently operates several facilities throughout the United States, and its Ogden, Utah, plant specializes in dry pet food for dogs and cats, as well as dog treats. The kibble side of the operation touts an annual capacity of 192 million lbs of dog and cat food from three extrusion lines. Many of these kibbles feature inclusions, like fruits and vegetables, and are classified as super-premium. 

Alphia’s food safety philosophy dates back to Dave McLain’s personal experience in the pet food industry, in which he witnessed the 2007 melamine crisis. It was during this that McLain made a personal vow to never sacrifice anything for pet food safety. This commitment is seen throughout Alphia’s entire operations, from plant sanitation to employee cleanliness — food safety is part of Alphia’s culture. 

On the nearly 35,000-square-foot treat side of the Ogden
facility, Alphia produces 4 million lbs of baked dog treats monthly. These treats are offered in more than 20 different shapes and sizes, and recipe capabilities span from meat-inclusive to grain-free.

Treats are mixed and formed into a customer’s specified shape, which can be entirely customized, and then baked into one of the plant’s three 300-foot-long ovens. Baking can take anywhere from 8 to 17 minutes, depending on the treat’s size and formulation. Each of Alphia’s plants features its own run profile for production to accommodate specific conditions. 

After dog treats are baked and cooled, they are conveyed and sorted into distribution bins. Additionally, quality assurance (QA) testing is performed throughout this entire process — during the intake processing of raw ingredients; during the kibble or treat production process; before the kibble is transferred to the finished product bins; before the packaging process; and during the finished product packaging process.

Sorting machines and conveyors transfer finished products to packaging. To keep its operations running smoothly, Alphia invests heavily in its engineering and fabrication capabilities, and has team members designing and building equipment to help streamline processes. 

All products, from pet food to treats, pass through metal detection systems before beginning pushed along to final packaging. For pet foods, packaging sizes can range up to 50-lb bags and for biscuit treats Alphia offers stand-up, resealable pouches and large bulk boxes.

Once it is in final packaging, product is then food safety and quality tested a final time before being released and shipped off to Alphia’s customers. 

As a national co-manufacturer, 60% of Alphia’s processing capacity is devoted to manufacturing pet food for large and small brands around the country. The remaining 40% goes toward the production of private-label dry dog and cat food for a number of retailers. 

Throughout its entire facility network, Alphia offers about 1,300 different dry kibble SKUs, and 40 treat SKUs at its Ogden plant. Additionally, seven of Odgen’s 260 total employees work in research and development, assisting customers with product innovation, line extensions, formulation changes and providing insights on the incorporation of new ingredients.