UPPER MACUNGIE TWP., Pa. — The Lehigh Valley now has another connection to the rapidly growing pet food industry.
Dog food company Spot & Tango held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday for its new 66,700-square-foot manufacturing facility along Morris Court in Upper Macungie Township.
- Dog food company Spot & Tango opened a manufacturing facility in Upper Macungie Township
- 45% of pet food made in Pennsylvania is made in the Lehigh Valley
- The facility was built to be scalable so the company can stay in the valley for a long time
At the event, company Founder and Chief Executive Officer Russell Breuer said that when the new facility was under construction, one of his employees found a lost dog wandering in the parking lot.
“‘Lost dog finds dog food factory’ – honestly, what are the chances?” Breuer said. “This was the moment we knew Allentown was home.”
Neil Weaver, the state Department of Community and Economic Development acting secretary, spoke at the event. He said 45% of the pet food made in Pennsylvania is made in the Lehigh Valley.
“We are fast becoming the pet food production capital of the world,” Weaver said.
“We [the Lehigh Valley] are fast becoming the pet food production capital of the world."Neil Weaver, Pennsylvania's Department of Community and Economic Development acting secretary
Spot & Tango is committed to creating at least 96 new, full-time jobs over the next three years, according to an event news release. The majority will be in production, maintenance and quality control, according to company Director of Manufacturing Reed Taylor.
During a tour of the new facility, Taylor said his company built the facility to be scalable so that even if the company grows much bigger, it can stay in the same location.
“We built everything to future-proof it so that we can be in the Lehigh Valley for a long time,” Taylor said.
Taylor said he expects two to four trucks to go in and out of the new facility per day. He said the company will not have to do high-volume trucking because it contracts a fulfillment partner to distribute its product.
Spot & Tango got a funding proposal from the DCED for a $288,000 Pennsylvania First grant and a $150,000 workforce development grant to help the company train workers, the news release said.
Founded in 2018, Spot & Tango advertises its dog food as human-grade, with no artificial additives, preservatives or fillers. The new manufacturing facility will freeze-dry and package its new shelf-stable dry food, UnKibble.
