Iowa Pet Food Plant Faces Layoffs | Des Moines News

A pet food startup in Iowa, Independence Premium Foods, is laying off 41 workers just three years after receiving $1.5 million in state funding to create over 200 jobs — a move that came after the plant was shuttered by Blue Buffalo. Despite investing nearly $15 million to launch human-grade dog food, the company now relies heavily on one major client whose reduced orders triggered the layoffs. They’re scrambling to diversify their customer base to stabilize operations and potentially rehire. This isn’t an isolated case — Iowa manufacturers have seen over 1,000 layoffs this year, including big names like Whirlpool, highlighting how quickly business tides can turn and why diversification is now critical for survival. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/ce7f9f6e6c754b9d