EXECUTIVE INSIGHT LEADING THE PROFESSIONAL CHARGE
FALL 2023
ISSUE 53
The
Egg Solution
GRANJAZUL AIMS TO BE THE PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE IN LATIN AMERICA FOR DELIVERING WORLDCLASS COMPREHENSIVE NUTRITIONAL SOLUTIONS
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The
Egg Solution
Granjazul, a Guatemalan company with more than 50 years of experience in the production and marketing of eggs and egg products, aims to be the preferred alternative in Latin America for delivering world-class comprehensive nutritional solutions.
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ranjazul’s story is one of continued growth and expansion. “The company was founded by my grandfather in 1953, focusing on producing animal feed, and later on expanded into chicken, breeding and egg production under my father’s management,” says Jose Manuel Segovia, the company’s Managing Director. “Since then, the business has never stopped growing.”
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Mr Segovia knows the business inside out, starting to come to the company with his father as a child, later working there throughout his school and university days. Speaking about the business’s development, he points out that what started with some 4,000 chickens in the late 1,960s is today an integrated business employing 700 people, with over one million chickens, that includes a breeder farm, hatchery, pullet farm and two production farms, one of which includes a feed mill. 4
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Passion for the business He explains that there have been several milestones in the company’s history that have promoted rapid business development – the first was the acquisition of quality certificates that paved the way to becoming a long-term partner to local food chains, including Mc Donald’s. Granjazul was the first poultry company in Central and South America to obtain certification of the FSSC 22000 food safety scheme (Food Safety Management Systems). The second was
placing the product in supermarkets in 1,998, introducing brand packaging and high standards of presentation, with each egg having an expiration date printed on its shell and properly graded. This was something new in Guatemala, and soon Granjazul won 25% of the supermarket share. Today, 50% of output is sold to the food industry and Mr Segovia insists that Granjazul sells not only products but solutions, working with its strategic partners to meet their needs, even participat-
ing in their marketing. “We do things together, we are allies, not just suppliers.” This philosophy has enabled the company to expand to export markets – today the company has a major position in El Salvador, providing the right solution to the industry. “Granjazul is not just my work but also my passion,” he says. “And I’m fortunate to have the right team of people; people with open, innovative minds, ready to accept change, ready to learn. The challenge is to change people’s mindsets for
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them; to see that we do more than just sell eggs. Much more. We provide a solution for the industry.” The product He further explains that unlike in Europe, where most people shop in supermarkets whenever and whatever they fancy, Guatemala has a different environment. “Our products are focused on fighting hunger. Our very focus is to educate our customers about the value of a Granjazul egg, and how that egg can make a difference for their family, from the smallest
person to the oldest.” Granjazul’s key purpose is to eradicate hunger with an accessible and nutritious product, through a brand following the best practices aimed at sustainability and the circular economy. “The value chain begins with providing quality food to our birds, applying the strictest controls to ensure their well-being and health, followed by the use of technology through automated processes that guarantee quality egg products.” Modern technology plays an important part
in the quality achieved. Each Granjazul egg is collected and graded using specific equipment, preventing human hands from coming into contact with the product, in order to eliminate contaminants throughout the process. The Granjazul brand is segmented by value channels and the regions that each value channel serves, through a specialised sales force which reflects the needs of clients. At the B2B industry level, the company serves the food service and hotel sector, delivering pasteurized
liquid eggs in industrial quantities as well as 360 whole eggs boxes. Using direct and centralized distribution, the supermarkets are supplied with blister packs with final consumer denominations, from 6 to 180 eggs, and the retail channel is then supplied with egg cartons allowing eggs to be sold individually or in bulk. “We have our own fleet that delivers directly to each centralized point of sale, and we plan to have between 4,000 – 6,000 points of sale within two years. We also 5
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We are focused on the UN Development Goals - Zero Hunger, Health and Well-being, and Responsible Production and Consumption 6
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have our export channel directly to El Salvador, a country where we have a good market share of the bakery and confectionery industry.” Innovative thinking Granjazul has a research and development department that works with clients to come up with new ideas and innovations. For example, the company sells Granjazul Plus, the first Central American egg recognized by the UN, a product enriched through feed with iron, zinc, selenium and vitamins A and D, aiming to provide the most complete source of protein in Central America to fight the hunger that affects the region. In recent months the company has developed Duritos (ready-to-eat hard-boiled eggs) with the aim of being able to provide a practical, nutritious and economical solution as an alternative to fried food and unhealthy snacks, and is now developing a ready-to-prepare egg-based pancake mix, in order to deliver a nutritious and practical solution to the consumer to reduce their time in the kitchen. To be better prepared for the future and in order to grow its market share, the company has invested in a market study to better understand each value channel and define strategies for innovation and growth. The objective for the coming months will be to stabilise the business and consolidate innovative products such as Duritos, farmed eggs, blue eggs and egg products, and to grow the brand value through trade market-
ing in supermarkets and the retail channel. For Guatemala and beyond Technology will continue to play an important part in the business’s development, just as it did when Mr Segovia’s father first invested in it. “Technology drives us to do different things, to the next level, motivates us to do new things. However, the company is not only technology driven but also sustainability driven. “ “We are focused on the UN Development Goals - Zero Hunger, Health and Well-being, and Responsible Production and Consumption. We have chosen these goals because they are the ones with the greatest significance for our actions, and we are set to achieve them through our products, our technology, our people.” In line with its social responsibility, Granjazul supports a local women’s football team in the Amatiltán region, and sponsors foundations and organizations that fight cancer and children’s malnourishment. “We also help re-forestation by planting over 4,000 trees a year,” notes Mr Segovia. “However, simply being such a highly integrated business, from feed production and hatchery to manure processing and product delivery, in itself supports sustainability and the circular economy. We control all the elements of the value chain, with a clear objective – to have a sustainable business and to guarantee top quality to all our customers, in Guatemala and beyond.” 7
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EXECUTIVE INSIGHT LEADING THE PROFESSIONAL CHARGE
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