São Paulo, February 18, 2019 – The 1953 brand, launched by Friboi in January 2018 to meet increasing demand for premium, high-quality beef, surpassed expectations in its first year. Last year, the Company saw a 45% rise in the “prime cuts” segment, taking into account the 1953 brand as well as the Swift Black range. 1953 is marketed to both wholesalers and the food service industry in Brazil and abroad, while the Swift Black range is sold exclusively to specialist butchers and restaurants.
The 1953 brand name refers to the year the Company was founded and was adopted to celebrate its 65th anniversary. The range offers cuts from a blend of European breeds and is sold at 5,400 different sales outlets across 15 Brazilian states. Initially, the range was only available in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. The number of outlets selling the brand rose an average 20% each month, with the new number of new stores peaking at 30% in October.
“The growth of the high-quality beef segment for products offering greater added value is driven by increasingly demanding consumers looking for a better experience at barbecues with friends or for dinner at home, which has pushed up demand for new products”, said Renato Costa, president of Friboi. “Despite the 1953 brand’s monthly expansion, supplies of other Friboi brands remain firm across the segment, which proves there are a lot of new opportunities in the premium beef industry”, he added.
All items in the 1953 portfolio – which currently offers over 50 different cuts – are controlled from source and are processed in accordance with the highest quality standards, including animal selection – which is based on a strict procurement policy that only includes will-finished calves and steers – and the advanced technologies employed to select and standardize the best cuts.
The market growth is the result of a brand construction process Friboi has been implementing throughout the supply chain, which encompasses everything from producers, who are required to comply with the 1953 protocol standards, to product delivery at sales outlets and/or restaurants.
About JBS
JBS is one of the world’s leading food industry companies with approximately 230 thousand employees in over 15 countries. The Company owns a portfolio of brands that are acknowledged for their excellence and innovation, including Friboi, Moy Park, Pilgrim’s Pride, Primo, Seara, Swift, Gold’n Plump and others, serving over 350,000 customers of more than 150 nationalities worldwide. The company’s focus on innovation also reflects its management approach to related businesses in areas such as leather, biodiesel, collagen, personal hygiene and cleaning products, natural wrappings, solid waste management solutions, metal packaging and transportation. JBS has adopted best sustainability practices throughout its value chain and constantly monitors its suppliers using satellite imagery, georeferenced maps of supplier farms and monitors official data from government agencies; the company also focuses on the highest possible food safety and quality standards. The success of JBS’s operations is closely tied to our Animal welfare practices, which are rigorously applied and have received an increasing share of investments to further improve the Company’s efforts in this area, in line with best practices.
JBS
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