BATAVIA, OHIO (Aug. 31, 2026) – As Clermont County celebrates the much-anticipated grand opening of the $550 million Nestle Purina Petcare dry food plant in Williamsburg Township, it is a significant reminder of the economic transformation taking place in the heart of the county along State Route 32 east of I-275.
"Today is a tremendous day for our community," David Painter, vice president of the Clermont County Board of Commissioners, told the crowd of officials, community leaders, plant workers and media at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Painter praised the plant for providing meaningful jobs that can support families in Clermont County. He described the plant's impact as "raising the bar for future generations and creating opportunities that can last for decades. Perhaps someday," he added, "a future grandchild will proudly say, 'My grandfather retired from the Batavia Nestlé Purina plant and my mom still works there today.' "
Painter also credited his predecessors for helping set the stage and prepare the 275 acres that Purina ultimately chose as the site for its 1.3 million-square-foot plant, which is located in the South Afton Industrial Park along Half-Acre Road at SR 32 in Williamsburg Township.
The Clermont County Community Improvement Corporation (CIC) purchased the land to establish South Afton Industrial Park in 2016, the first planned industrial park developed in the county since the 1990s. Work commenced immediately to install utilities and a 2,000-foot access road. In 2018, SiteOhio authenticated South Afton as “shovel-ready for development.”
The upfront work performed by CIC was key to marketing and attracting buyers to the site starting with Design Within Reach, which opened its original 617,000 square-foot facility in 2019 and has since expanded to nearly double its initial footprint. More than a dozen companies, including four in Brazil, China, Japan and Canada, visited the site.
Ultimately, Purina chose the location for its plant. Construction started in 2020. It is Purina's first plant from the ground up since 1975 and its most technologically advanced.
The plant is 11 miles east of I‑275 along SR 32, which is part of the Ohio Department of Transportation's nearly completed $180 million Eastern Corridor project that opened up the central part of Clermont County for development. Multiple residential developments are taking shape near the plant, which is 26 miles from downtown Cincinnati and 35 miles from the Greater Cincinnati–Northern Kentucky International Airport.