Oct. 16—Sunshine Mills, a family-owned and -operated pet food and treat producer in Alabama, announced Monday it has acquired the Red Collar Pet Foods plant in Joplin.
That plant was formerly Hampshire Pet Products, 7700 Alliance Parkway, in the Joplin Crossroads Center Business and Distribution Park.
Hampshire was built in Joplin in 2001 and sold to Red Collar in 2019. Red Collar is under the umbrella of Arbor Investments, based in Florida.
In a statement, Sunshine Mills said the acquisition brings immediate additional capacity for baked and cold-formed pet treats.
"It was immediately clear to me that the high quality operations, strong customer relationships and the highly experienced team in Joplin were the perfect fit to join the Sunshine Mills family," Alan Bostick, president and CEO of Sunshine Mills, said in a statement. "The Joplin addition further strengthens our tradition of proudly serving the world's pets with a variety of foods and treats at affordable prices."
Red Collar has nearly 130 employees working in the Joplin plant, and covers 200,000 square feet of production and warehouse space on 18 acres.
"We are thrilled to see the knowledgeable and engaged team of associates at Joplin join the like-minded family at Sunshine Mills," Greg Wolking, president and CEO at Red Collar Pet Foods, said in a statement. "We now look forward to crossing paths with them as our industry colleagues while Red Collar continues to serve customers and key retailers."
Sunshine Mills has been in business 75 years providing pet foods, soft treats and oven-baked biscuits. The company owns and operates multiple manufacturing sites in the United States and sells to more than 30 countries worldwide. Consumer brands include Evolve, Triumph, Sportsman's Pride, Hunter's Special, Nurture Farms, Pet Life, Pup Corn and Meaty Treats.
Red Collar is a manufacturer for a large range of retailers. Arbor Investments was founded in 1999 as a specialized private equity firm focused exclusively on acquiring companies in food, beverage and related industries. To date, the firm has acquired or invested in over 80 companies in North America. Arbor is based in Palm Beach, Florida, with additional offices in Chicago and New York.