GLOBAL protein giant JBS has broadened its footprint in the animal protein business, securing a large stake in one of Latin America’s largest egg producers.
JBS has bought a 48.5 percent stake and 50pc of the voting shares in Brazil’s Mantiqueira Alimentos. The deal was worth about A$250 million (US$156m).
The investment is JBS’s first in the egg industry, extending the company’s current global portfolio covering beef, pork, chicken, lamb, farmed salmon, smallgoods and value-added items and plant-based foods.
Mantiqueira manages 17.5 million laying and rearing birds, producing four billion table eggs per year. The company has focussed on free-range production since 2020. It employs more than 3000 staff, with units in six Brazilian states, servicing markets across Brazil plus exports across South America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
Mantiqueira’s Happy Eggs brand is the fastest-growing egg brand in Brazil, focusing on free-range chickens, with its Fazenda da Toca leading the organic egg segment.
In a statement to shareholders overnight, JBS said with the completion of the investment (subject to regulatory approval), the company would share control of Mantiqueira with its founder and largest shareholder, Leandro Pinto.
“This agreement will allow JBS to enter the egg sector and reinforce its global platform diversified by geography and protein, which has allowed the company to continue growing with solid results,” JBS told shareholders.
Mantiqueira Alimentos Brasil is one of Latin America’s largest and most respected egg producers. Renowned for its commitment to innovation, sustainability, and animal welfare, the company offers a diverse range of egg products, including cage-free, free-range, and organic options.
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