The Batista brothers: Meat and money

The Batista brothers, Wesley and Joesley, transformed their father’s small Brazilian butcher shop into JBS, the world’s largest meat processing conglomerate. Their rapid expansion relied heavily on state-backed financing from the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) and aggressive acquisitions across four continents. This growth was fueled by a massive corruption scheme involving bribes to thousands of politicians, eventually leading to their implication in the "Operation Car Wash" investigation. Despite facing significant legal challenges, including a record-breaking fine and brief imprisonment, the brothers maintained their influence, successfully lobbying for international market access and navigating political shifts to secure JBS’s debut on the New York Stock Exchange. Their trajectory illustrates the intersection of corporate power, political patronage, and the resilience of global industrial giants in the face of systemic scandal.