Union Pacific Railroad and Nestlé Purina Plant Mark 95-Year Anniversary

A 95-year-old letter yellowed with age is an excellent starting point for the remarkably long and successful business relationship between Union Pacific Railroad and the Nestlé Purina Petcare facility in Denver.

In the letter, dated Feb. 18, 1930, then-Union Pacific President Carl Gray recounts the grand opening of the new Purina mill and the time he spent celebrating with the company’s famed founder, William Danforth.

“They talk Purina, eat it, sleep it, dream it; I have never seen a more absorbed organization,” wrote Gray. “(A)ltogether I think the new Denver mill got off to as fine a start as could be desired.”

Nearly a century later, Union Pacific and the Nestlé Purina plant’s relationship is still going strong.

“When we’re working with Union Pacific crews, it’s like family. We know every man and woman who help service this plant, and that’s why this relationship has endured so long,” said Ronald Katzer, materials manager at Nestlé Purina in Denver.

For Union Pacific, the Denver plant is a source of historical pride that highlights the railroad’s longstanding commitment to providing premier service to its customers.

In fact, Union Pacific sold the land to Purina in 1928 so the Denver plant could be built next to the railroad tracks.

“We are very proud of the relationship we have built with Nestlé Purina over the years and the work we have done together to grow both of our businesses,” said Jason Hess, senior vice president-Marketing and Sales for Union Pacific Railroad. “It’s been a great partnership that has only gotten better with age.”

The facility in Denver employs more than 300 people and – since 1972 – makes the iconic red-and-white checkerboard chow favored by cats and dogs since the company’s founding in 1894 by Danforth in St. Louis.

Union Pacific serves the facility on two fronts: bringing in the raw grains used to produce their high-quality pet food and transporting the final products to key markets in the Northwest, including Oregon, Washington, Montana and Idaho.

“We have achieved great efficiency over the years in off-loading and on-loading, working together as a team,” Katzer said.