Wooriwa CEO Choi Kwang-yong poses at the company's office in Seoul's Jung District. Courtesy of Wooriwa
Wooriwa invests in pet food development and manufacturing beyond what most people imagine. Rather than just focusing on scale, the company hones its technological capacity to create pet food for dogs and cats across every stage of their lifespan.
Pet Food Kitchen in Eumseong County, North Chungcheong Province, serves as the Seoul-based company’s manufacturing hub. Opening in 2020, the four-story plant, with a total floor area of 23,800 square meters, produces an average of 60,000 tons of pet food per year, with a maximum capacity of 120,000 tons.
With each floor running 250 meters long, the wide interior space is divided into different processing zones, with each quarter strictly quarantined from one another. The measure prevents working sectors from compromising clinical safety by sharing air, ingredients or personnel.
Inside the plant are the company’s latest facilities, all certified for hazard analysis and critical control points, organic production, and quarantine conditions. Vacuum coating and twin extruders are part of the plant’s key equipment helping to sustain production capacity.
Wooriwa CEO Choi Kwang-yong said pet food professionals from overseas were amazed when they visited Pet Food Kitchen.
“Even an expert from France, a country known as a leader in the pet food industry, said, ‘I’ve never seen anything like this,’ and touted Pet Food Kitchen,” Choi said in his interview with The Korea Times.
“Our facility is on par with even the most advanced installations in the IT industry. Visitors to the kitchen often ask why I invested so heavily in a mere pet food manufacturing facility. I replied, ‘Isn’t this what you should do if you care about quality?’”
In January, Wooriwa further extended its technological scope by opening a new research and development center in western Seoul’s Gangseo District. The expansion reflected Choi’s belief that when it comes to pet food, researching recipes should be prioritized over manufacturing. He also realized the company lacked a dedicated space for the purpose of ensuring quality on par with global standards and thus improving consumer trust.
An ANF pet food product released by Wooriwa in March, tailored to different age groups with diversified nutritional specifications / Courtesy of Wooriwa
Source: Korea Times News
