JBS S.A. is the biggest meatpacker the world has after an aggressive expansion in Brazil in the early 1980s and subsequent investment abroad after several strategic acquisitions upon entering the new century. Moreover, tracing its roots to the early 1950s as a ranching business in the city of Anápolis located at the center of the country in the state of Goiás and founded by Brazilian entrepreneur José Batista Sobrinho, the company began its steady climb in the 1960s after a carefully implemented acquisition spree of butcher shops, ranching businesses and slaughterhouses in Brazil. Nevertheless, it was after reaching the 1980s when the company became a serious player in Brazil by buying several integrated beef meatpackers throughout the country.
Furthermore, having gone public back in 2007 after receiving an opulent investment from the state-owned Brazilian Development Bank, the company became a massive multinational after three acquisitions in America including the beef and pork meatpacker known as Swift & Company Corporation, the beef business unit of Smithfield Foods Corporation and a controlling shareholding in Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation which specializes in poultry and consequently, lifting its position in the business of white meats. Today, JBS is a massive multinational with consolidated sales expected to surpass $ 40 billion this year while competing with the likes of Tyson Foods Corporation after having won ground from it in various segments. In fact, JBS is considering buying the entire business units of Tyson Foods in Mexico and Brazil. By the same token, after the heavy lifting that took place, JBS owns nowadays over 150 slaughterhouses, packing plants and refrigerated storage facilities in Canada, America, Australia, Argentina and Brazil while possessing the rights to a string of brands selling packed meats including beef, poultry and pork around the world. In addition, the company also owns sizable pasture landholdings and cattle feedlots in several Brazilian states.
To conclude, being controlled by the Batista family of Brazil that still own about 25% of the company’s stock listed in the South American country while being led by Joesley Batista along with his brother Wesley, sons of the patriarch of the clan José Batista Sobrinho, this splendid and enormous meatpacker is a true Brazilian champion making the nation proud. In fact, if this Brazilian multinational wins approval from antitrust authorities for the pending acquisitions expected to be made, the company will be the undisputed leader worldwide packing meat. Currently, with tens of millions head of cattle, the company has an impressive capacity to slaughter over 50 thousand head of cattle every day.