The largest egg farm in South America, producing over 4 billion eggs per year, Mantiqueira gained even more momentum in 2025, the year JBS bought half of its operation and entered the United States with the acquisition of Hickman's Egg Ranch.
However, the company's expansion is not limited to this international map. The group is going beyond its traditional field of operation, with the premise of not putting all its eggs in one basket. And the starting point for this movement is the Brazilian market.
Mantiqueira is officially announcing its entry into the functional nutrition segment this Monday, May 18th, through N.OVO, a brand of protein drinks based on hydrolyzed egg whites that, by betting on this ingredient, also inaugurates a category in this space.
“Today, we are already multi-brand, but we also want to be multi-product,” says Márcio Utsch, global CEO of Mantiqueira, to NeoFeed . “We always seek this diversification. And the way to do this, in addition to the brands we already have in our traditional business, is to enter the egg-derived products market.”
N.OVO was already part of this menu. A spin-off , it previously focused on plant-based products from the Mantiqueira region. However, understanding that after an initial hype , this category didn't take off in the market, the group will now use the brand as its flagship for healthy products.
Among other rationales linked to the growing consumer demand for products of this nature, this strategy is influenced by another boom in the market, this one much more recent. And increasingly in excellent form: slimming pens , based on the principle of semaglutide (GLP-1).
“People who use these pens eat less. And eggs are a very rich source of protein, which eliminates the need to eat a lot,” says Utsch. “And egg whites are even more nutritious, in smaller quantities and with quick digestion. So, this new category is very suitable for us to take advantage of this trend.”
The first products to come off the shelf, N.OVO's ready-to-drink protein beverages, help illustrate the approach Mantiqueira is using to fully embrace this trend of healthy products and give traction to its new mix based on hydrolyzed egg white.
One of the main arguments lies in the labels of these drinks. According to the company, its products are zero fat and zero milk. And they have one-fifth the carbohydrates and half the calories of conventional shakes available on the market.
The formula that forms the basis for this nutritional information and the new category required approximately two and a half years of undisclosed investment in research and development. During this time, the products underwent a series of tests with trade clients and consumers.
This phase also included a soft launch process for the products, on an experimental basis, with the offer initially restricted to two flavors – strawberry yogurt and fruit smoothie – and to a few locations and points of sale. Among them, chains such as St. Marche and Emporium Paulista, in São Paulo.
Now, the plan is to start scaling up the offering of these products. This stage begins with the launch of two other flavors – lemon pie and vanilla berry – in addition to expanding distribution channels, initially focusing more on capital cities such as São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Curitiba, and Brasília.
Although he didn't specify numbers, the CEO says the plan is to gradually introduce N.OVO products to retailers that already sell traditional Mantiqueira products. Today, this base includes approximately 3,600 retail chains.
The campaign to mark the official arrival of the category on store shelves will involve initiatives such as social media campaigns with renowned doctors and nutritionists, and, most importantly, tastings at points of sale and in locations such as gyms and sporting events.
At this starting point, one number gives a good indication of the potential of this venture. According to the consulting firm Euromonitor International, the functional beverage category already generates more than R$ 1 billion in Brazil.
Mantiqueira's ambition, however, is not limited to this area. Utsch states that the group already has other products and categories in the works based on this formula. "These are categories in which you could replace traditional milk with milk made from egg whites," he says.
“And from there, the sky’s the limit,” he says. “And I know it’s extremely challenging, because Mantiqueira continues to grow, but we want to transform the group into a branded company, and I hope that in five years, 10% of the revenue will come from these innovative products. That’s a personal goal of mine.”
In this assessment, within its traditional business, which includes brands such as Mantiqueira, Happy Eggs, and Fazenda da Toca, one of the focuses for 2026 is expansion via greenfield projects, with plans in cities such as São Sebastião do Rio Verde (MG), Lorena (SP), and Céu Azul (PR).
Outside of Brazil, the group is also making progress in its operations in the United States, with the reconstruction of Hickman's Egg Ranch farms, which were significantly affected by an outbreak of avian influenza prior to the acquisition.
“This project is also almost a greenfield project , because, of the five farms, four are practically brand new,” says Utsch. “But we are already making improvements to these facilities and we are not leaving the scene to eventually have some other greenfield operation in the United States.”
