Mantiqueira: innovating and disrupting in the egg business

Consumers’ shifting tastes have made sustainable growth for firms in the food industry increasingly difficult. Scholars and industry practitioners constantly try to develop business strategies to deal with disruptions in modern food markets. This case uses Brazilian company Mantiqueira as an example of how a company can adopt demand-driven innovation and embrace disruption to aid its sustainable growth over the years. We follow the success of Mantiqueira in the market of eggs, from its humble beginnings until its dominance in the Brazilian market. With the use of data, the case (1) shows the current challenges faced by Mantiqueira and (2) asks readers to participate in the next round of decisions that Mantiqueira will have to make in order to hold its market share. This case is intended for use with graduate students and professionals in the agribusiness and food industries. It can be used to develop competencies associated with decision making for agribusiness firms, particularly for those faced with changes in the demand side that require new marketing strategies and capital investments.