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Municipality Known as the Egg Capital Produces 132 Units per Second, Reaches 4.16 Billion per Year, Leads National Production, and Sustains a Strategic Poultry Hub.
On September 28, 2025, IstoÉ Dinheiro published a report showing that a small municipality in Espírito Santo, located about 80 km northwest of Vitória, has established itself as the “egg capital.” This is Santa Maria de Jetibá, a municipality at an altitude of 700 meters, whose poultry production registered in 2024 reached 4.16 billion units, which translates to 132 eggs produced per second.
This impressive number is not episodic: for nearly a decade, Santa Maria de Jetibá has maintained absolute dominance in the national egg production ranking, surpassing larger cities and entire states. In the spirit of a significant agricultural-industrial enterprise, the city known as the “egg capital” functions as a major poultry hub, supplying all of Brazil and influencing entire production chains.
Strategic Location and Favorable Climate for Poultry Farming
Santa Maria de Jetibá is positioned in a mountainous region of Espírito Santo, with altitudes ranging from 700 to 1,450 meters above sea level. This geography helps maintain milder temperatures, which favor the raising of laying hens, some of the primary conditions for quality egg production.
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The water that almost everyone throws away after cooking potatoes carries nutrients released during the preparation and can be reused to help in the development of plants when used correctly at the base of gardens and pots, at no additional cost and without changing the routine.
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The sea water temperature rose from 28 to 34 degrees in Santa Catarina and killed up to 90% of the oysters: producers who planted over 1 million seeds lost practically everything and say that if it happens again, production is doomed to end.
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An Indian tree that grows in the Brazilian Northeast produces an oil capable of acting against more than 200 species of pests and interrupting the insect cycle, gaining ground as a natural alternative in soybean, cotton, and vegetable crops.
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The rise in oil prices in the Middle East is already affecting Brazilian sugar: mills in the Central-South are seeing their margins shrink just as ethanol gains strength.
Additionally, the municipality has a relatively stable climate and agro-environmental conditions that reduce thermal stress on the birds, improving feed conversion and maintaining high production rates.
The Impressive Numbers: Production per Second, National Ranking, and Growth
- Annual Production (2024): 4.16 Billion Eggs
- This corresponds to an average of 132 eggs per second
- The city leads the national poultry production ranking, with almost 1 billion eggs more than the second-place holder in the country
- The sector grew 9.3% compared to 2023, with an increase of 354 million additional eggs
With this performance, Santa Maria de Jetibá reaffirms its role as a strategic poultry hub not only in Espírito Santo but throughout Brazil.
“The King of Eggs” and the Companies that Structure the Hub
The production does not depend solely on physical or natural aspects: there are enterprises and leading figures behind this expansion.
One of them is businessman Ricardo Faria, known in the region as “the king of eggs”. He is the CEO of Global Eggs, a company that has about 20 units of commercial egg production spread across Brazil, many of which are located or connected to the production base of Santa Maria de Jetibá.
This type of investment creates a robust local agro-industrial infrastructure, with the integration of inputs, logistics, poultry genetics, and processing — necessary elements to sustain such high production volumes.
National Comparisons: Jetibá vs. Major Poultry Centers
Santa Maria de Jetibá is not just a small municipality making noise: it is the largest egg producer in Brazil. Since 2016, it has been surpassing Bastos (SP), a traditional poultry city, in the national ranking.
In 2024, Bastos reached about 3.24 billion eggs, 11.2% more than in 2023, but still fell short of Jetibá.
When comparing states, São Paulo led national production in 2024 with 15.3 billion eggs, equivalent to 23.5% of the total in Brazil. Following are Paraná, Minas Gerais, Rio Grande do Sul, and Espírito Santo.
These data reveal how even smaller municipalities, if organized and specialized, can surpass major poultry centers in production performance.
Logistical, Sanitary, and Environmental Challenges
Reaching huge numbers brings responsibilities and risks. To maintain production on a massive scale, Santa Maria de Jetibá faces considerable challenges:
- Transport and Logistics: Delivering eggs to distant urban centers requires a cold chain and efficient distribution to avoid losses.
- Poultry Health: Control of avian diseases, biosecurity on farms, and continuous monitoring are essential to prevent outbreaks that could devastate flocks.
- Environmental Sustainability: The use of water, waste production, waste management, and impact on soils and groundwater need to be managed with care.
- Labor Supply and Technical Training: Maintaining quality requires local technicians, veterinarians, and specialized labor.
- National Input Costs: Feed, electricity, and transportation, which typically have high costs in Brazil, squeeze producers’ margins.
Overcoming these bottlenecks is part of the sustainable growth strategy to maintain leadership and competitiveness.
The Potential for Attraction and the Role in the National Market
When a city takes center stage in a basic product (like eggs), it gains strategic importance. Some possible impacts:
- Attraction of related industries, such as feed factories, hatcheries, packing houses, and distribution networks.
- Formation of local agro-industrial hubs, generating employment and income in the region.
- Influence in public policies of the poultry sector — local experts become technical references for state and federal initiatives.
- Integration with national supply programs, partnerships with supermarket chains, and even exports.
Santa Maria de Jetibá already fulfills part of this role: it is a reference in Espírito Santo, exporting knowledge and receiving investments from major industry networks.
The Portrait of an Agricultural-Industrial City
Although many may imagine that large productive hubs only exist in major capitals, this municipality in Espírito Santo refutes that notion.
With monumental production, established companies, and a global scale of egg production, Santa Maria de Jetibá operates as a true agricultural-industrial city — with a clear economic identity and national impact.
There, the morning air may be infused with the smell of the countryside; the incubation warehouses breathe technology, and distribution routes extend throughout Brazil. This city that “lays eggs” has become synonymous with efficiency, productivity, and leadership in the national agricultural sector.
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