First Industrial Meat-Packing Plant at Fray Bentos

Background. Justus von Liebig developed a concentrated beef extract in 1847 to provide a cheap, nutritious meat substitute. His process aimed to make the benefit available to as many people as possible through industrial extension and cost reduction. This scientific foundation inspired George Christian Giebert, a German railway engineer, who read Liebig's work in 1862 and proposed industrializing the process in South America.

Establishment. Villa Independencia was founded in 1859 and became the capital of the Río Negro Department in 1860. Giebert established the Societé de Fray Bentos Giebert & Cie. with Liebig's agreement and backing from entrepreneurs and ranchers, and built a test extraction plant at this site, later known as Fray Bentos. An industrial plant owned by the Societe de Fray Bentos Giebert & Cie., the Liebig Extract of Meat Company (LEMCO), was founded there in 1863.

Legacy. The test plant evolved into the Liebig Extract of Meat Company, formally established in London in 1865. The Fray Bentos factory complex grew into one of South America's largest industrial sites, helping usher in the industrial revolution in Uruguay. It played a major role in developing the country's cattle sector, which remains a key source of export products.