Huevos Kikes is not a name foreign to Colombian families, either because this is their favorite brand of eggs on the table or because at some point they have heard and seen it on television, since on different occasions it has been a sponsor on cooking reality shows such as ‘Masterchef Celebrity’. This company has a legacy of more than 60 years, however, it started selling chicks and under another name.
From the Santander Incubator to Huevos Kikes: a family legacy
In the heart of Santander, Bucaramanga, a poultry dream was born in 1962: Santander Incubator. Founded by Diego Muñoz Rodríguez, a former military man with a passion for agriculture, the company was initially dedicated to the production of fertilizer and the sale of day-old chicks. This is because he realized that the land required a lot of fertilizer, but his chickens were multiplying and there were more and more offspring, which is how he concentrated on selling them.
In the 70s, under the leadership of his son Enrique Muñoz Guerrero, the company’s objective was to sell chicks throughout Colombia. However, business was not going as expected, as there was a lot of competition. This is how Enrique decided to give the company a transcendental turn.
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Having in his possession more than 2 thousand laying hens, he decided that the way to follow was the production and sale of eggs. In order to introduce better processes for this project, he decided to travel to Spain, where he learned about automated cages, and at the Hacienda Santa María, located in La Mesa de los Santos, he located 600 thousand chickens. Just one year after that, in 1995 Incubadora Santander consolidated itself as a leader in egg production in Colombia, with 500 thousand units per day.
The growth of Incubadora Santander was so powerful that shortly after, in 1998, they inaugurated Agropecuaria Latinoamericana. Today the Egyptian Poultry Farm, in Caloto (Cauca), recognized as the largest in Colombia.
After creating his first egg brand, Enrique Muñoz’s nephew, Juan Felipe Montoya, joined the company. With it also came the name Huevos Kikes, that was the way the founder’s son expected everyone to call them.
Since then Juan Felipe began to create a legacy for Huevos Kikes, today he is the current president. In 2013, he led a corporate image change and brand relaunch. Also during the Montoya administration, different innovative projects have been developed.
In 2017, he promoted Incubadora Santander to be the first company in the country to produce energy using chicken manure, that is, chicken manure. What was initially fertilizer for this company, today translates into the creation of energy.
According to figures from the newspaper La República, in 2020 Huevos Kikes was key to the country’s food security, as the egg became the preferred protein for Colombians, achieving revenues of $457,586 million. A year later, the company generated more than 2,000 jobs and produced 4.5 million eggs a day.
Huevos Kikes not only stands out for its excellence in egg production. The company is also committed to sustainable development and animal welfare. Their modern farms implement environmentally friendly practices, and the well-being of the chickens is a top priority.
Its presence in more than 12 cities in the country makes it a brand close to consumers, synonymous with quality, freshness and commitment to the community.
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