With more than 80 years of life, BRF has become one of the largest food companies in the world thanks to the birth of its main brands. It was in the 1930s, in the interior of Santa Catarina, that Perdigão emerged as a small business of two families of Italian immigrants. In the following decade, it was the turn of Concordia, also in Santa Catarina, to receive Sadia. Since then, the merger of these two businesses in 2009 has given rise to one of the largest agro-industrial complexes in the world, BRF.
Check out in our timeline all the achievements and innovation that made BRF come from the interior of Brazil and win the world!
During the early 1930s, in Videira (SC), descendants from two families of Italian immigrants – Brandalise and Ponzoni – stablished a small business that became the starting point for one of the biggest agroindustry facilities in the world: Perdigão.
Sadia is founded
During the early 1940s, Sadia’s history begins. Founded by Attilio Fontana, in Concórdia (SC), the brand carries its original values: respecting work, taking care of the land and focus on the technique.
Why the name Sadia?
The name was created by adding “S.A.” in to the last three letters of Concórdia. In that very year, the brand opened its first distribution center in São Paulo (SP) and became a trademark.
Sadia conquers the Rio-São Paulo area
Having more experience, the brand decided to stablish its presence in the country’s main commercial area, Rio-São Paulo. For that purpose, the first airplane was bought. At the time, there weren’t any refrigerated trucks and that trailblazing approach made the products popular nationwide.
Sadia expands its headquarters
The first headquarter outside of Concórdia was placed in the city of São Paulo. The Moinho da Lapa S.A. enhanced credibility, while showing the brand’s experience and strategic vision.
Sadia keeps investing
The company decides to build Frigobrás (Companhia Brasileira de Frigoríficos – Brazilian Refrigerated Facility Company) in São Paulo’s capital city. By doing that, the brand joins the pre-made and frozen segment. In that same time, the Conselho de Administração (Management Council) was created and the contracts for meat exportation began. Sadia takes the first step to conquer the world.
Sadia’s mascot is created
When the first media appearances started, during the launch of the pre-made and frozen products, the Sadia mascot was introduced, created by advertisers Francesc Petit and Washington Olivetto, from DPZ. In a cartoon for black and white TVs, the first ad shows the charismatic turkey helping a housewife going through trouble when preparing dinner.
Sadia launches its biggest hit
The Sadia Seasoned Turkey was the biggest hit in the entire brand history, securing the lead in turkey meat sales in Brazil. In the following year, the chicken exportations to the Middle-East begin and Sadia becomes the leader among national exporters.
Perdigão’s first export
The first poultry-only slaughterhouse was built in Videira (SC). That way, Perdigão became a pioneer in exporting Brazilian chicken meat, destined to Saudi Arabia.
Perdigão’s Chester® is launched
With the intention of offering to the market an alternative to regular poultry meat, Perdigão imports from the United States the first originals from the Gallus gallus species and begins a genetic enhancement program. The goal is to develop a special type of poultry, with 70% of its meat concentrated in the breast and thighs. Thus, the Chester® brand was created.
Sadia gets closer to the final consumer
In that year, the brand creates the first direct channel between the consumer and a food company. The creation of SIC – Serviço de Informação ao Consumidor Sadia (Sadia’s Consumer Information Service) is considered a symbol of transparency and respect from the brand to its customers.
Sadia’s mascot is named
14 years after it was introduced, the idea of giving an official name to the mascot comes to life. In that year, Sadia holds an open cultural contest to choose a name. The name Lek Trek wins, a suggestion from a consumer that translated to the letter the tender and daring personality of Sadia’s mascot.
Sadia to the world
The brand opens its doors to several locations around the world. Tokyo, Milan, Buenos Aires were the first. Then came the Beijing Brasil barbecue house, in China. At that time, the international success was already a reality.
Sadia in a new market
The brand joins a market dominated by the competition: margarine. In that year, the first facility is inaugurated in the port city of Paranaguá (PR), launching the Qualy brand. The margarine with the same flavor as butter, great consistence in a rectangular package was an innovation for the category until then.
Sadia turns 50
The brand’s anniversary was celebrated in style: a record income of US$ 2.9 billion and an exportation revenue of over half a billion dollars. The Sadia family already consisted of over 32 thousand employees, when Sadia S.A. was founded.
Perdigão is restructured
After one of its founders passed, Perdigão was no longer a family company and the partner restructure process was concluded, resulting in a single open capital company, Perdigão S.A., and a single operational company, Perdigão Agroindustrial S.A.
Qualy becomes a national leader in sales
The brand becomes the leader in the margarine market all over Brazil. Quality of life is more and more present in the Brazilian’s table.
Perdigão Pizza
It’s pizza! In that year, the brand becomes the first to offer frozen pizza in Brazil.
Sadia Expansion
The company surpassed US$ 1 billion in income and secured the absolute leadership in the poultry market. The company’s expansion was recognized and exportation hit the goal of reaching over 40 countries.
Pioneering Sadia
The brand is still very well-stablished in Brazil and aggressive in the international market. Present in Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Italia, England and the Emirates, besides being represented in Paraguay, Bolivia and Japan. In that same year, the company becomes the first Brazilian company from the food market to offer braille package; there is also the inauguration of the Attilio Fontana Memorial, honoring the 100th anniversary of its founder.
Perdigão in other countries
The first Perdigão office outside Brazil is opened in London, England. In that same year, the brand joins the New York Stock Market and is the first Brazilian food company to be listed in Wall Street.
First contact between Perdigão and Sadia
Perdigão and Sadia create BRF Trading, a company with the goal of selling poultry products and food in general produced by both companies, for emerging markets. During the same year, Perdigão launches the worldwide brand Perdix – used for processed products – and Sadia is elected the most valuable food brand in Brazil, by the English consulting firm Interbrand.
Sadia with more news
The brand grows in the cattle segment and launches more products in the Brazilian market. The highlight was the Hot Pocket, an instant success. Right after came the line of products Sadia Soja (Soy) and the Rezende brand makeover.
Perdigão in a new market
The brand debuts in the Novo Mercado da Bovespa (Bovespa New Market) and acquires 51% of the social capital from Batávia S/A Indústria de Alimentos. The introduction to the dairy market starts with a partnership with Cooperativa CCLP – Cooperativa Central de Laticínios do Paraná – and with Agromilk, that remain owners of 49% of Batávia’s capital, a company headquartered in Carambeí (PR) that has an agroindustry presence in the state of Santa Catarina.
Perdigão has a new logo
As part of the campaign “Perdigão. Vem do coração do Brasil” (Perdigão. Comes from Brazil’s heart), in that year the brand launches its current heart-shaped logo, keeping the traditional partridge couple as main symbol. Apart from that, a new typography was adopted.
Olympic Sadia
The company sponsored the Brazilian Olympic delegations that participated in the Rio’s 2007 Pan-American Games. The contract, signed with Brazilian’s Olympic Committee (COB), granted Sadia’s an exclusive placement in the food category and lasted until Beijing’s 2008 Olympics.
Sadia arrives in the Brazil Northeast
The first factory in the region, placed in Vitória de Santo Antão (PE), becomes a reference in sustainability! Beyond being self-sufficient in water, it is the first factory in Brazil to neutralize 100% of greenhouse emissions, through planting 3.5 million native trees. With capacity to produce 150 thousand tons of cold cuts, the investment totaled R$ 300 million.
Perdigão makes new acquisitions
The company acquires Eleva (previously Avipal). The purchase of all stocks owned by Eleva’s controlling stockholders makes possible the creation of one of the biggest Latin America food conglomerates, with a strong presence in the exportation of meat and dairy. In the same year, Perdigão also buys Cotochés, one of the most traditional companies from the dairy segment in Minas Gerais.
Perdigão expands the structure
In the same year, the company expands its offers and creates a new business unit: Food Service. By doing so, the company starts to meet the growing demand of fast food chains, hotels, hospitals, restaurants and other establishments.
Perdigão and Sadia unite
That is the year when this powerful relationship begins! The brands announce the beginning of the association process to unify the companies’ operation, by changing Perdigão’s social denomination, which became BRF Brasil Foods S.A., and moving its social headquarters from São Paulo to Itajaí (SC). The result was a public stock offer to increase the company’s social capital.
BRF in other countries
In this year, BRF reached the milestone of 22.7 billion reais in sales, from which 40% were to the international market. Moreover, it became the third exporting company in Brazil, being the biggest poultry exporter and the global leader in protein production, with 9% of the world market.
BRF in development
Reaching 4.2 thousand tons of meat production, the development of a unit of processed products is announced in the United Arab Emirates, in the Middle-East. BRF also acquires Avex and Dánica, two Argentinian companies. The former was part of the poultry market, while the latter belonged to the margarine market.
BRF social
The environmental investments from BRF surpass 157 million reais. In the same year, the company invests 1.4 billion reais in social development.
BRF expands around the world
In that year, Quick Foods from Argentina, owner of the Paty brand, is acquired; as is 49% of Federal Foods, Sadia’s distributor in the Middle-East; and a partnership with the Chinese company Dah Chong Hong becomes official, for distributing Sadia and Food Services products in Hong Kong and Macau.
BRF: a unified company
The company operates with a single corporate identity. The new brand is launched, reflecting aspirations for the next years: bring people closer, employees and consumers, all over the world. This openness is also expressed in the new logo: it represents a globe, with a color palette that translates the diversity of cultures, territories and ethnic groups. In that same year, executive Abílio Diniz becomes a part of the company’s Management Council.
BRF Innovation Center
Inaugurated in Jundiaí (SP), the BRF Innovation Center (BIC) was conceived to be one of the main innovation references and technological development in the food sector. The facility is considered a model in sustainability and civil engineering technology.
BRF moves on
Acquisition of Alyasra Food Company W.L.L. (“Alyasra”), a distributor from the State of Kuwait, with a base value of US$ 160 million. In the same year, the first processed food factory in the Middle-East is inaugurated, the biggest in the region, with an investment of nearly US$ 160 million in the construction, placed in the industrial sector of KIZAD (Abu Dhabi), in the United Arab Emirates.
Sadia 70th Anniversary
In the year it turned 70, Sadia placed 7th in share of mind during that period. The line of cold cuts “Soltíssimo” is launched, a new product that brought freshness and convenience to the consumer’s table. During Christmas in that same year, Sadia announces its Linha Fácil (Easy Line).
BRF has a new CEO
Pedro Faria becomes the global CEO of the company. The sale of the dairy division to Lactalis is settled in R$ 2.1 billion. And the company becomes the 1st Brazilian company to invest in the emission of Green Bonds.
Global BRF
SATS BRF is created in Singapore (Asia). In China, the snack line Sadia is launched. In the Middle-East, part of the Qatar National Import and Export (QNIE) is acquired; in Argentina, famous brands such as Vieníssima (sausages), Goodmark (hamburgers), Manty and Delícia (margarines) are acquired through subsidiaries Avex and Quick Foods. And the new Joint Venture between BRF, GmbH and IFGL, to distribute processed food in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Scandinavia markets. More than that, the acquisition of all the ordinary emission stocks from Golden Foods Siam, including all its assets in Thailand and Europe.
BRF and more acquisitions
Acquisition of all the emission stocks from Alimentos Calchaquí Productos, holder of the Calchaqui and Bocatti brands; of Globosuínos Agrupecuária S.A., including a unit that produces piglets; of all the emission stocks from Eclipse Holding Cooperatief UA, Danish society that controls Campo Austral, a group of companies with integrated commercial operations in the Argentinian swine market; and the acquisition of all the economic rights from Al Khan Foodstuff LLC (“AKF”), distributor of frozen food in Oman.
BRF Halal
Creation of the “Sadia Halal” subsidiary, which will control the assets related to production, distribution and sales of food destined to the Muslim markets.
