Established outside of Thirsk, Yorkshire Farmhouse Eggs, a family business for over 30 years, were recently named the UK’s largest producer and packer of free range only eggs by the British Egg Industry Council (BEIC).
Determined to produce only the best quality, completely free range eggs on their farms, the company can be commended for not altering their philosophy in the face of stiff rivalry from other, perhaps less-specific competitors, especially in the recent difficult economy.
The firm’s success of late is epitomised by the £6m investment in to state of the art production and packing systems at two of their sites, including Bedfordshire’s Wood Farm. Their Hoads Farm site in Sussex is the target for the next spate of expansion efforts, with it being scheduled to receive similar upgrades in the coming year.
According to BEIC, whose subscribers account for approximately 90% of the UK egg market, sales of free range eggs have recently overtaken those of cage eggs for the first time.
Director Adrian Potter explained: “We have always focused on maintaining the highest standards of animal welfare and have only ever produced free-range eggs, something we are very proud of. Being the UK’s largest free-range only producer is a fantastic achievement and I can only hope that we can encourage more people to consider buying free-range eggs.”
The business’ quirkily-coined ‘hen-centric’ approach, allowing hens to have the run of acres of fields every day, with access to modern barn-style sheds, has created the perfect environment for hens to lay the highest quality eggs.
These efforts have not gone unrewarded, with the recent acclaim and an £18m turnover to show for their efforts, and a business plan geared towards sustaining the current success.
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