By Brazil Stock Guide — JBS is expanding its push into higher-value ingredients with a new business designed to help food and beverage companies develop protein-rich products, from initial formulation through industrial production and retail launch.
The new operation, called Genu-in Solutions, marks an evolution in the business model of Genu-in, JBS’s unit focused on collagen peptides and gelatin. Rather than simply supplying ingredients, the company is seeking to capture a larger share of the product-development value chain for its customers.
The move gives the world’s largest meat processor greater exposure to a fast-growing market spanning protein snacks, ready-to-drink beverages, dairy products, gummies and supplements, while also creating new ways to monetize raw materials generated within JBS’s own beef-processing operations.
The strategy fits into a broader effort by the company to turn by-products from its animal-protein operations into higher-value businesses. Genu-in uses parts of cattle hides from JBS’s supply chain to produce collagen and gelatin, an example of the circular-economy model the group also applies in areas such as biodiesel, fertilizers and recycling.
JBS invested about R$400 million in Genu-in’s plant in Presidente Epitácio, in São Paulo state. Opened in 2022, the facility has annual capacity to produce around 6,000 metric tons of collagen peptides and another 6,000 tons of gelatin. With Genu-in Solutions, however, the company’s ambitions now extend beyond selling that output as a raw material.
The new business will be able to offer clients services including formulation development, ingredient selection and application, regulatory assessment, stability testing, industrial-production preparation, communications and logistics. Customers can hire Genu-in for individual stages or effectively outsource most of the product-development process to JBS.
“With Genu-in Solutions, we are moving from ingredients into final-product development, combining our protein expertise with research and technology,” said Ricardo Gelain, president of JBS Novos Negócios.
From supplier to development partner
The new model moves Genu-in closer to companies operating in food technology and contract development, where suppliers compete not only on the price of ingredients but also on technical expertise, formulation capabilities, intellectual property and speed to market.
That positioning could become increasingly relevant as traditional food manufacturers seek to expand their high-protein offerings without necessarily building dedicated laboratories and product-development teams for each new category.
The global protein-fortified food market is expected to reach about $101.6 billion by 2030, according to estimates from Grand View Research, with a compound annual growth rate of 6.2% between 2024 and 2030.
Growth is spreading well beyond traditional supplements and protein bars into beverages, dairy products, snacks, frozen meals and everyday packaged foods.
JBS has already been testing that shift in consumer demand within its own portfolio. In 2025, Seara launched a line of frozen meals containing more than 30 grams of protein per serving, using Genu-in collagen in the formulation.
The next step is to offer similar product-development expertise to outside companies.
First product ready for market
Among the first projects developed under Genu-in Solutions is a protein puff snack that took roughly 18 months to develop and contains 44% protein.
According to JBS, the product has completed the required regulatory process and stability testing and is ready for commercialization at retail.
The company did not disclose which brand will launch the product, nor did it identify customers or contracts already secured by the new business.
Other applications currently under development include collagen gummies and ready-to-drink beverages, two categories where manufacturers have been seeking to increase protein content without compromising taste, texture or shelf stability.
That is one of the main technical challenges in protein-enriched foods. Adding protein to a beverage, cheese or snack is not simply a matter of increasing the amount of an ingredient. Proteins can affect viscosity, flavor, clarity and texture, and may behave differently during processing and throughout a product’s shelf life.
To address those issues, JBS partnered with Brazil’s Institute of Food Technology, known as Ital, to establish a research center in Campinas focused on collagen applications in food and beverages.
Opened in 2025, the facility allows formulations to be tested in laboratories and pilot plants before they are taken to full industrial scale.
For JBS, the logic goes beyond food innovation. The new business is another step in extracting more value from each animal processed by the group: first by converting a lower-value by-product into collagen and gelatin, and now by using those ingredients as the foundation for a broader product-development and services platform.
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