Select Language VIDEO TOUR PARTNER PORTAL From Arable Farmers To The World’s Finest Private Label Dry Pet Food Manufacturer 1972 Thomas Bracewell acquired Plocks Farm over 50 years ago when it was a mixed arable and livestock farm. 1992 GA Pet Food Partners (GA) started as Golden Acres in 1992. Roger Bracewell was farming and practising as a Land Agent with his father, Tom. In the sheep shed at Plocks Farm, the then Farm Manager, John Blackett, took some of the wheat that GA was growing on the 2,500-acre farm and poured it into a small extruder driven off a tractor’s PTO shaft and out came a ‘meal’. GA was able to sell the meal for more than the wheat, which is how it all began! 1995 In 1995, GA added a Wenger Inc. wet extruder and moved part of the recently closed BOCM Midge Hall Mill, with farm labour, to provide the milling and mixing machinery needed to produce the dry raw ingredients. Shortly after, in 1998, GA added a Wenger TX144 Twin Screw extruder, further cementing the long-term partnership with Wenger Inc. 2000 The Company installed a completely new mill with a Wenger 185 Optima Single Screw. The dried products were packed by automated Cetec 400 and 700 packing lines. GA’s continuous investment in the business had proven to be a tremendous success. In 2000, GA manufactured 500 different types of extruded pet food, catering for a range of dogs and cats to small animals, which was sold to 350 different partners. 2007 The Meat Kitchen’s were installed to cope with the increased demand for fresh meat inclusion. 2011 GA consolidated its finished product warehousing from five separate sites into two dedicated 200,000 sq ft distribution centres at R2 and D2 in Chorley, Lancashire. This enabled the development of a specialised facility to store the finished products and the empty packaging in a fully automated warehouse. This enables the finished product to be collated and despatched to meet the partner’s exact requirements, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 2012 GA commissioned a Wenger Thermal Twin 3630, which can manufacture very high levels of fresh meat into premium dried pet food without the use of dry meat meals. The meat refrigeration storage capacity increased to cope with the demand for fresh meat inclusion. 2014 The opening of the new Microbiological Laboratory provides zero tolerance on Mycotoxin, Salmonella and Enterobacteriaceae. Innovative microbiological and indirect analysis ensures safety, digestibility and nutrient analysis of every product. 2014 Freshtrusion™ is born. A world-first in dry pet food technology. Freshtrusion™ technology allows more fresh ingredients to be used in dry pet foods than any other extrusion system in the world, including fresh meat and now fresh vegetables, herbs and botanicals. 2015 Installation of two additional biological filter beds to assist the existing three filter beds in cleaning the air before it is reused in the manufacturing process or released into the atmosphere. The state-of-the-art odour abatement system resulted in a significant reduction in all odours, minimising our impact on the local environment. Electric forklifts are introduced in the Distribution Centre to minimise dust and noise pollution, improving the working environment for GA’s colleagues. 2021 In comparison to when it all started in 1992, GA Pet Food Partners now employs over 800 colleagues, selling in excess of 80,000 tonnes per year of the world’s finest dry extruded pet food and export to 50 different countries across the world. ABOUT US Our History Meet Our Leadership Team Job Vacancies Life At GA Pet Food Partners Corporate Social Responsibility Additional Information BECOME A PARTNER MyLabel Our Brochures Knowledge Centre Video Tour INNOVATION CENTRE Freshtrusion™ Research & Development Production Laboratory Ingredients Kitchen SERVICES Services Export & Logistics MyBox Delivery MyHub Knowledge Centre Partner Portal CONTACT US Contact Us Directions Video Tour Join the GA Team Our Brochures © 2021 GA Pet Food Partners. All Rights Reserved. Additional Information GA Pet Food Partners – Private Label Pet Food Manufacturer About Us ▼ Become a Partner ▼ Innovation Centre ▼ Services ▼ Contact Us ▼