JBS has formed a strategic partnership with Danantara Investment Management, the investment arm of Indonesia’s sovereign wealth fund, and intends to expand its presence across Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand and other Southeast Asian markets. The transaction includes a $2.5 billion equity investment by Danantara for a 25 per cent stake in JBS’s Australia and New Zealand operations.
In addition to the equity contribution, the joint venture is expected to provide incremental investment capacity of $2.5 billion, bringing total available capital to up to $5 billion to fund acquisitions, greenfield investments and other growth opportunities across Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia.
The region combines population scale, rising incomes, urbanization and increasing protein consumption. Official data from the ASEAN Secretariat show that the region reached approximately 745 million people in 2024. The initiative is designed to expand JBS’s investment capacity, accelerate regional growth and leverage its Australian operations as a platform to scale in markets considered strategic for global protein consumption. Australia remains a core pillar of JBS’s geographic diversification, with strong export positioning and a key role in balancing JBS’s global results.
“Our partnership with Danantara Indonesia marks an important step in our long-term growth strategy in Southeast Asia. As a cornerstone of the broader JBS global platform, our Australia and New Zealand footprint provides strong operations, world-class standards, and significant growth potential. Together with Danantara, we are well positioned to expand our presence across Indonesia and Southeast Asia, strengthen regional protein supply chains, broaden market access, and accelerate the development of Indonesia’s protein sector,” said Gilberto Tomazoni, Global CEO of JBS.
According to Tomazoni, the move is aligned with JBS’s long-term strategy, focused on geographic diversification, branded and value-added products, sustainable growth and shareholder returns.
“This investment is a strong endorsement of JBS Australia’s proven track record in establishing and growing food businesses throughout Australia, New Zealand and around the world. Under the structure of the partnership, JBS Australia’s operations remain unchanged — existing management retains day-to-day control, and nothing changes for our 17,000 team members, customers and producer partners,” said Brent Eastwood, CEO of JBS Australia.
