Following the acquisition by JBS of half the equity of Mantiqueira, a major egg producer in Brazil, the parent company indicated that it would establish a presence in the U.S. To this end, Murilo Scarpa Pinto, son of Leandro Pinto, the founder of Mantiqueira moved to the U.S. to spearhead the company involvement in the domestic egg industry. The initial strategy was to purchase an existing large egg company and to concurrently plan and erect a complex of up to two million hens.
This past week JBS USA announced the purchase of the family-owned Hickman’s Egg Ranch headquartered in Arizonia but with a partly-owned subsidiary, Central Valley Eggs located in California. In announcing the acquisition Wesley Batista Filho CEO of JBS USA noted, “By partnering with the Pinto Family through MTQ USA, we are creating strong synergies that will enhance collaboration, improve efficiency, and accelerate innovation.” He added, “We see significant opportunity to deliver more value to customers across the country.”
The acquisition follows the loss to HPAI of almost six million hens comprising the Arizona complexes owned and operated by Hickman’s Egg Ranch. Glenn Hickman , CEO recently stated, “The trauma of going from six million chickens down to nothing in a period of three weeks is more than our family wants to take a chance on again.”
In an interview with a local television station Hickman criticized the USDA policy on control of HPAI stating, “The federal government has declined to become involved and try to figure out solutions and protection for our flocks.”
Given the challenges of restoring the Hickman’s flocks, restructuring and adapting the culture to the corporate requirements of JBS will occupy management in the intermediate term. Accordingly erection of a green field complex in either Utah or Colorado may be deferred. There will be obvious challenges in applying production practices and policies appropriate to Brazil that will be applicable to the U.S. market. In addition, much of the expertise of JBS in broiler production and marketing will be inappropriate to the U.S. situation.
The Mantiqueira acquisition of Hickman’s Egg ranch is the second investment by Brazil in the U.S. industry in 2025. Hillandale Farms was acquired in May by Global Eggs S.a.r.l. controlled by entrepreneur Ricardo Faria as a going concern. The two operations, functioning under ownership by companies with roots in Brazil will amount to 26 million hens representing eight percent of the U.S. nominal flock of 325 million hens.