About Us

J&F S.A. is the largest industrial conglomerate in Brazil and one of the largest in the world. The company operates in several strategic sectors of the economy and is organized into five business units: food, consumer goods, pulp, power and mining.

Within this structure are companies and brands of great relevance in the market. Among them is Âmbar Energia, which operates in the generation, distribution, commercialization and development of power solutions, in addition to the transportation of natural gas. Eldorado Brasil is recognized as one of the most modern and sustainable pulp manufacturers in the world. Flora stands out as a leader in several segments of personal hygiene, cleaning and cosmetics. LHG Mining has one of the largest reserves of high-quality iron ore in the world. J&F also controls JBS, the world’s largest producer of protein-based foods.

J&F S.A. is part of the J&F Group, which has in its investment portfolio companies such as PicPay, Banco Original, Fluxus, Canal Rural and MGAS.

In addition to its business activities, the group maintains the J&F Institute, a business education center dedicated to transforming companies into educational institutions. The institute offers Elementary School II, Technical High School and Higher Education, having already trained more than 800 young people and contributed to the development of new generations of professionals.

Mission and Values

Mission

To be the best in what we set out to do, with absolute focus on our activities, ensuring that we offer the best products and services to our customers, consistency to our suppliers, profitability to our shareholders and the opportunity to access a better future for all our employees.

Our Values

Our Beliefs

Focus on details
Hands-On
Goals are only achieved with hard work
Be the right person in the right place
Be passionate about what you do
Good attitude is more important than knowledge
Leaders must steer their team towards a common goal
Lead by example
Focus on results
Work with people that are better than us
It makes a difference to believe in our goals
Quality products and services

Global Operations

Founder

FOUNDER

JOSÉ BATISTA SOBRINHO (Zé Mineiro)

José Batista Sobrinho, known as Zé Mineiro, is the founder of the J&F group, the largest business conglomerate in Brazil. With more than 70 years of history, the group gave rise to J&F S.A., which today has 297 thousand employees spread across more than 250 operating units in more than 20 countries, with revenues of R$ 490 billion in 2025. Its initials give its name to the group’s largest company, JBS, a global leader in the production of protein-based foods.

The businessman began his career in 1953, when he opened the Casa de Carnes Mineira, in Anápolis (GO), alongside his brother Juvensor Batista. This was the starting point for what would become JBS. In the 1970s, the company gained strength with the Friboi brand, which expanded its operations in Brasília and expanded into new markets.

Zé Mineiro also diversified the business with the acquisition of Cical, transformed into Flora in honor of his wife, a company that gave rise to the consumer goods business unit of J&F S.A., which bears the couple’s initials.

Under the leadership of his sons — José Batista Júnior, Wesley Batista and Joesley Batista — JBS has undergone a process of strong expansion and internationalization, consolidating itself as a world reference in the food sector.

Currently, JBS is present in more than 180 countries, with more than 250 business units, and is part of the diversified portfolio of J&F S.A., a conglomerate that also has the pulp, mining, consumer goods and energy divisions. The J&F Institute, which is also part of the group, is a business education center created to transform companies into educating companies.

Throughout his career, Zé Mineiro consolidated values that became the basis of the group’s business culture, such as simplicity, frankness, humility, determination, discipline, availability and ownership. These values are all about simplicity, being straightforward, humble, determined, having discipline, being available and embracing the owner’s attitude. A strong organizational culture portrays the company’s personality and identity, develops a sense of belonging and employee engagement, which attracts market attention and grants credibility to the company.

Shareholders

SHAREHOLDER

WESLEY MENDONÇA BATISTA

Wesley Batista is a Brazilian businessman, shareholder and vice chairman of the Board of Directors of J&F S.A., the largest industrial conglomerate in Brazil.

With 297 thousand employees spread across 250 operations, J&F S.A. is in more than 20 countries, with revenues of R$ 490 billion in 2025. The businessman is also a member of the Board of Directors of JBS N.V. (NYSE: JBSAY) and its subsidiaries Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation (Nasdaq: PPC) and JBS S.A.

The family business was founded more than 70 years ago with JBS, a global leader in protein production. J&F S.A. is the parent company of JBS. Wesley Batista started working in the group at the age of 17.

As a shareholder, he oversees the activities of J&F S.A., which encompasses the food, pulp, mining, consumer goods and energy businesses, in addition to overseeing other businesses of the J&F Group in the finance, oil and gas and communication sectors. He also serves as vice president of the J&F Institute, a Center for Business Education that exists to transform businesses into educating enterprises.

Wesley Batista served as Global CEO of JBS for six years (2011 to 2017). In this position, he led the company’s expansion in the global food market by expanding higher-value product lines and strengthening JBS brands. In the domestic market, the company strengthened its beef operations and entered the chicken segment. He led acquisitions including XL Foods in Canada, Seara in Brazil, Cargill Pork in the United States, Primo in Australia, and Moy Park in the United Kingdom.

Prior to that, he served as President of JBS USA for four years overseeing growth in the United States following the acquisition of Swift & Company in 2007. Under his leadership, JBS USA more than doubled revenues, acquiring Smithfield’s beef business, JBS Five Rivers, a majority stake in Pilgrim’s Pride, and expanding the Australian operations acquired through Swift.

Earlier, he was President of JBS’s beef operations in Brazil and Argentina for 15 years, building the foundation for the company’s future global leadership.

SHAREHOLDER

JOESLEY BATISTA

Joesley Batista is a Brazilian businessman and shareholder of J&F S.A, the largest business group in Brazil.

With 297 thousand employees spread across 250 operations, J&F S.A. is in more than 20 countries, with revenues of R$ 490 billion in 2025. The businessman is also a member of the Board of Directors of JBS N.V. (NYSE: JBSAY) and its subsidiaries Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation (Nasdaq: PPC) and JBS S.A.

As a shareholder, he oversees the activities of J&F S.A., which encompasses the food, pulp, mining, consumer goods and energy businesses, in addition to overseeing other businesses of the J&F Group in the finance, oil and gas and communication sectors.

The family business was founded more than 70 years ago with JBS, a global leader in protein production. J&F S.A. is the parent company of JBS. Joesley Batista began his career at the age of 16, as manager of Flora Cosméticos and soon took over the leadership of Friboi’s meatpacking plants in Goiás.

In 1993, he took over the financial area of Friboi, the first step to later lead the tax, accounting and controllership areas. He played a central role in the accelerated growth process of Friboi and, later, of JBS and the group, an expansion based on the purchase of dozens of companies, such as Swift in the United States, in 2007, a milestone in the company’s internationalization.

At the end of 2005, Joesley assumed the presidency of JBS. In 2007, JBS achieved a major milestone: its IPO. It was the first IPO of a meatpacking company in the Brazilian stock exchange (BM&FBovespa) and the largest of a Brazilian company to date.

Currently, the entrepreneur also devotes his time to the J&F Institute, where he serves as a president. Founded 16 years ago, the Institute is a Business Education Center dedicated to transforming companies into educational enterprises.

Historic

1953 | The Origin

Originating in a small butcher shop in Anápolis (GO), in 1953, the J&F group has become the largest employer in the country in these 70 years. The patriarch of the group, José Batista Sobrinho, traveled farms with his brother buying and reselling cattle.

In a short time, Casa de Carnes Mineira – and its owner, now known as Zé Mineiro – became famous for the quality of its products and became the main supplier to the city’s butcher shops.

60s-70s | Expansion and diversification

In the 1960s, slaughterhouses were established in Anápolis (GO) and Formosa (GO). In the following decade, the company diversified, leading the meat market in Brasília. In 1980, a small rendering factory gave rise to Flora Higiene e Cosméticos, which grew rapidly until it tripled in size between 1978 and 1983.

80s-90s | The Second Generation

In the 1980s, the younger children joined the family business. In 1988, Zé Mineiro bought a slaughterhouse in Luziânia (GO), appointing Wesley, 18 years old, to manage the unit, while Joesley, only 16, took over as Minuano’s industrial manager. Junior was in charge of the soap business. The group continued its expansion, leasing a slaughterhouse in Anápolis (GO) in the early 1990s, a unit formerly owned by Bordon, which would be acquired by JBS in 2003.

refrigerator in Anápolis (GO)
refrigerator in Anápolis (GO) – 1993
Swift Armour (2005)

2000s | Internationalization

With the incorporation of Bordon’s brands and assets, Friboi became the leader in the beef protein sector in Brazil. In 2005, internationalization began with the acquisition of Swift Armour in Argentina, followed by the purchase of six slaughterhouses in the neighboring country in the following two years.

In 2006, Friboi entered the international financial market with bond issuances, followed by the IPO in 2007, the largest ever recorded in Brazil at the time, adopting the name JBS.

In July 2007, JBS bought Swift Co., which had revenues five times as much, achieving profitability under Wesley’s leadership in less than a year. Protein diversification expanded with the acquisition of Pilgrim’s Pride in 2009, and on the same day, the incorporation of Bertin S.A., consolidating JBS as the largest producer of animal protein globally.

2010s | Accelerated diversification

Expansion continued in other sectors, such as Banco Matone, in 2011, which gave rise to Banco Original. The following year, Eldorado Brasil Celulose was inaugurated, an operation created from scratch by the J&F group.

In 2013, JBS began to grow its poultry and pork production in Brazil with the acquisition of Seara.

Canal Rural was acquired in 2013 and Âmbar Energia, created in 2015, expanded its assets with operations in energy generation, distribution and trading. Flora doubled in size with the acquisition of brands such as Ox, Neutrox, Karina, Kolene and Francis.

Eldorado Brasil Celulose

2020s | Looking to the future

In recent years, the group has continued to invest in the diversification of its operations, with special attention to technology and added value in all businesses.

Picpay, a startup acquired by the group, received investments that led it to become the largest payment app in the country and, later, a complete financial ecosystem. Today, the fintech has more than 64 million customers. In 2026 it debuted on the Nasdaq stock exchange, traded under the ticket “PICS”, being the first IPO of a Brazilian company since 2021.

In 2021, JBS acquired Europe’s third-largest plant-based protein company, Vivera, and entered aquaculture through the acquisition of Australia’s Huon.

In the same year, LHG Mining was created, from the acquisition of Vale’s high-grade iron ore and manganese assets, in Mato Grosso do Sul.

Other relevant movements were the acquisition of the Spanish Biotech and the creation of a research center in Santa Catarina, in 2022, both focused on the development of cultivated meat, and the entry of the J&F group into the oil and gas sector with the acquisition of Fluxus, in 2023, and MGAS, in 2024.

Looking to the future, the group invests in the J&F Institute, a business education center that works to transform businesses into educational enterprises.

Estrutura organizacional

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