With MassDevelopment Loan, Pittsfield Pet Treats Company Buys Equipment to Support Growing Business

May 15, 2012

Contacts
Kelsey Abbruzzese, MassDevelopment, 617-330-2086 & 617-448-9077
John Gigliotti, Whole Life Pet Products, 413-442-4316

MassDevelopment has provided a $200,400 equipment loan through its Export Loan Program to Whole Life Pet Products, a Pittsfield manufacturer of organic freeze-dried pet treats. The company will use loan proceeds to purchase a freeze dryer, an automatic bagging machine and sealing machine, and other equipment to quintuple its manufacturing capacity. Whole Life Pet Products sought financing for the additional equipment when it received a large order from a grocery chain, and this project will help the company meet growing demand for its healthy pet treats.

“Assisting the Commonwealth’s manufacturers is a MassDevelopment priority,” said MassDevelopment President and CEO Marty Jones. “Through this loan, we’re pleased to aid a different kind of manufacturer – one that serves our four-legged friends. This low-cost financing will help Whole Life Pet Products grow its business in a Gateway City, adding jobs and keeping pets healthy and safe.”

Founded in 2005, Whole Life Pet Products expects the project to create four jobs. Whole Life Pet Products makes its treats from hormone-free, free range, organic meats. The company freeze-dries and packages all the treats in its Pittsfield facility. Its products are sold online and throughout the country.

“As a small business owner with a growing business in need of financing, it was so encouraging to find that there were great programs and great people at MassDevelopment ready to respond to our needs,” said Whole Life Pet Products President John Gigliotti. “The people I worked with were incredible and the process was streamlined and easy to get through. I look forward to a long-lasting partnership.”

MassDevelopment, the state’s finance and development agency, works with businesses, nonprofits, financial institutions, and communities to stimulate economic growth across the Commonwealth. During FY2011, MassDevelopment financed or managed more than 300 projects generating investment of $3.8 billion in the Massachusetts economy. These projects are projected to create more than 10,000 jobs (2,547 permanent and 8,129 construction), and build or rehabilitate more than 1,000 residential units.