Originating from the “Yolk-Folks” 

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H&N: Where are you from? And what is your earliest memory about chicken?

Ana: I was born in Brazil, in Rio de Janeiro City on June 17th of 1980. Those people born in Rio City are known as “carioca da gema” it means “yolk carioca”. 

H&N: … Yolk-Folks, people from the very center! 

Ana: Yes, in this sense I can say it was my very earliest contact with chicken and eggs. There is more, though: When I was a kid in Rio, I used to go to some animal exhibition fair with my family, and the gift to take home was a day-old chick. I took mine home and he grew up amongst all our other animals. Until one day I was made to eat him but without me knowing so, of course! He had ended up in a dish and was killed by the woman who was in charge to cook to my family, while I was away at school. When I found out that he was gone, and that our family had actually eaten him, I was devastated and cried a lot.  

H&N: What made you choose a career in agriculture? 

Ana: I grew up in a house with very many different animals given that we lived in the city. We kept dogs, turtles, birds, a parrot, almost a little zoo! I loved them all. But when I told my father that I would like to become a veterinarian doctor, he forbade me to work with pets. In his experience pet owners could be extremely complicate to deal with and could render a veterinarian’s passion to care for animals in the first place really difficult. So, I realized that my future would rather have to be in animal production. But, after all, I would still be able to work with animals when I would become a vet. Focusing on my studies and supported by my parents, I left home when I was 16 years old.  

H&N: Where did you study? What where major milestones?

Ana: I studied veterinary at State University of Santa Catarina in Brazil. This is a public university, so I didn’t have to pay for those years of quality study. I’m very grateful for this. My mother made a public open speech in my graduation to thank the state for bearing the cost of that quality study for her daughter. It was a very special moment! The beginning of my career was in the same state, and it was a way to repay what I had received for free. During my studies, I did several internships in different areas of veterinary medicine, however I didn’t yet have the opportunity to do it with poultry until last year. 

H&N: And yet you specialized in chicken? How come, and what fascinates you about them/the industry?

Ana: Luckily, I got the last period handling with all poultry chain in one of the biggest agro-industrial companies of Brazil, and after the mandatory internships they invited me to join the company as a regular employee. This opportunity made me fall in love with the fascinating poultry industry. And next, I was contracted to work in a huge hatchery producing many day old chicks. 

H&N: How did your career path unfold further?

Ana: I was very lucky to start my career working with some very good professionals who tought and mentored me from the early beginning. It was a broad and wide area of learning and an intense time of training. I was handling practices on the poultry farm like selecting and vaccinating birds, monitoring drinking and food intake, taking care of the litter quality for those birds in the field and to work directly with 120 people in a huge hatchery in the south of Brazil. I was very open to learn, and I didn’t miss any opportunity to develop myself as a professional and as a person. It was not easy, and I learned a lot. It prepared me to leave this first job to work with in ovo–vaccination service for all Brazilian territory and learn yet more things with a lot of other people, different challenges in different regions of my country. 

H&N: It sounds like lifelong-learning is a key strategy to success?

Ana: It is! This attitude brought me into the position of vaccination and vaccines manager for a very important biological industry. Here I could audit, do trainings and help the prevention on the poultry industry. After that I decided to learn different technical things: I joined a pharmaceutical company as a technical manager to attend customers in a holistic way with desinfectants, antiparasitcs, antimicrobials and nutricional products for the poultry health. Those experiences helped me to see poultry production as if using a drone to get a top-view. Putting on this meta-perspective serves to prevent and solve problems with an integrated approach to contribute our poultry markets. I believe that the opportunities and the people I met along with my career, make all the difference.

H&N: What is your new role now at H&N International? 

Ana: In H&N International, I’m Key Account Manager for Brazil and Central America.

H&N: With an amazing career under your belt already, what convinced you to change to H&N International?  

Ana: I was again looking for new challenges, for something with a different scope, and I’m very proud to now be part of H&N International. With all my previous experiences from companies I worked for before I hope to contribute to achieving H&N’s goals in the layer market and to collaborate to the egg production market to be more productive with quality and high-level service. I also believe that at H&N International we can contribute to producing the richest and most popular protein to feed the world safely, responsibly and sustainably. 

H&N: Your favorite way to spend quality time?

Ana: Spending time with my family and friends, at the beach or gathering with them around a barbecue grill laughing and sharing the moment under a very blue sky on a sunny day.

H&N: What do you like to put onto that grill?

Ana: Anything good, specially good meat (picanha of couse!!!), pork belly and to accompany a potato salad with plenty of eggs prepared and shared with love and mindful consideration!