How Brazilian Billionaire Molina Cracked the Chicken Market

  • Owner exited big plays at least three times before BRF bet
  • Poultry demand, management overhaul drive share recovery
A poultry farm that supplies BRF in Marau, Brazil.Source: BRF
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Brazilian meat mogul Marcos Molina tried for more than a decade to replicate his successful beef playbook in the faster-growing chicken market. Thanks to impeccably lucky timing and a shrewd turnaround plan, he may have pulled it off.

Since the Marfrig Global Foods SA founder took control of the board at BRF SA in 2022 — giving the world’s No. 1 beef patty producer oversight over a top chicken supplier — the long-struggling poultry seller has made a marked recovery. It returned to profit late last year following seven quarters in the red after slashing underperforming product lines and boosting factory productivity, with the stock the second-best performer in Brazil’s benchmark Ibovespa index during the past year.