ingebra free range eggs going public?

..for the sale of hens I should say and not through- i think if a proportion of eggs are sold to the public it will help rehoming hens.
Oh and I wouldn’t have individuals come out for eggs but one person coming out to purchase for a large group so no waste in petrol
plus it’s about time the public got out there and had a look at what goes on at a free range farm- well worth the effort. Although
once you run out of local eggs I guess you can always pick up from the local supermarket where they come from as far as Melbourne 🙂

Art: I better clear something up- thanks for giving me the opportunity. All my eggs are already sold to two restaurants and when I double that amount those are sold to restaurants automatically too if I so wish because they are of the highest quality.
Business is fantastic but I happen to be an animal lover and I do not wish to have any of my hens slaughtered unnecessarily
when it is time for a new group to be raised. Consequently I must think laterally to create a following of other like minded people.
Recently I sold the last of my older chickens to make way for the new and can proudly say they all went to fantastic homes while raising money for cancer support. My idea worked and everyone is happy. Next time however due to greater numbers it might be much harder to find homes. I run a family business- that means no cash in hand sales- everything is invoiced and yes it is very convenient to drop off the eggs in bulk to the restaurants. I really would rather not sell to the public but I do want to continue
to let people know who we are through the sale of hens.
My mother was a certified organic free range egg farmer for years but what you don’t understand is it means very little with no proper regulation in place. You see there are people who unscrupulously re label, or become certified and then go to cheaper feed and all sorts of tricks not in the best interest of the chicken or the consumer. It’s very naive to think otherwise. Having said that I know there are some wonderful and genuine farmers out there selling at market.

Oh yes, I’ll drive my V6 on an 80km journey for free range eggs. Very good or the environment and my car.
I’m sorry but there are a number of CERTIFIED free range organic egg producers who can be found at the markets and even in local supermarkets.
A tip is if you want to succeed in business, you need to do the work. Approach local restaurants and cafes, appear at the local markets. Surely you driving a shipment out to the markets and restaurants on one day is a lot better and more efficient than any other option.

No, I wouldn’t travel to Burra, but I like the idea of an email with a request for orders and then a drop off/pick up at some convenient location.

thanks everyone for your comments. demand outweighs supply – my main concern is to keep the public aware of us so we can
continue selling the hens to good homes as we have thankfully done so far. Many have asked if we will ever sell eggs to the public
so I’m researching it. RIOTACT has been a great forum for feedback.

As DHMO stated there’s a lot of work involved with free range and it is WORTH it- I am against animal cruelty and I choose to have a small scale sustainable chicken farm for the sake of their happiness. That’s what it’s all about. Until it is regulated people might want to bother to visit local farms instead of buy the eggs transported from miles away. Good on the local small free range farmers selling
at the markets – those who are practicing real free range but it is hard to know which of any of us does it.

WMC is just doing a bit of market research

WHO TOLD YO…I mean, nothing. What? Look over there!

(And if any of you start selling sex toys shaped like Parliament House, you’ll be hearing from my lawyer.)

I doubt most free range eggs are genuine. I’ll amend that the cartons would be. I grew up on an egg farm. At the beginning it was what is called free range and over some years progressed to cage. Why was this? Simple my father needed to make a living to support his family. The main advantage of cage is that by using lights you fool the birds into laying all year. At least double production results with a much shortened life for the birds. With free range you have to guard the flock againt predaters. Foxs, dogs, hawks, feral cats etc. They just need to scare the birds and they will stop laying. This increases labour costs as does gathering the eggs. Also don’t forget birds will also attack and eat each other. So in an industry that is not regulated I think as Choice said they are phony. Besides they should cost about ten times the price of cage. Oh your question I will not buy at all. If one is concerned about cruelty don’t be sucked in!

For a long time we used to buy our eggs from a guy that came in once a week from near Braidwood. He sent out an email every Thursday letting everyone know what stock he had (apart from his wonderful eggs, he also sold a small selection of home-grown herbs and things) and it went on a first-in-best-dressed basis by responding to the email. Sure he was a smaller outfit than you guys – probably selling around 40 dozen a week – and with an established clientele with a strong purchase history he had little trouble moving his stock.

Sorry, make that Ingebra, not WMC.

dusty said :

You’ve gotta be kidding!
First rule of marketing: go to where the customers are lazy ass.
Why would we want to drive out there when free range eggs are evrywhere in town now.
You’ve got a bit of catching up to do mate, best get busy not sitting in front of your PC pontificating.

You’re a bit out of line there Dusty. WMC is just doing a bit of market research. Why such arrogance??

You’ve gotta be kidding!
First rule of marketing: go to where the customers are lazy ass.
Why would we want to drive out there when free range eggs are evrywhere in town now.
You’ve got a bit of catching up to do mate, best get busy not sitting in front of your PC pontificating.

I have to concur. Try and resell through EPIC farmers markets, or Southside Farmers markets, or through Choku Bai Jo, or at a roadside stall out of a van a few days a week. There is a guy on the Monaro Highway at Hume that sells flowers most evenings as I drive home down there. Something similar for certain kinds of farm fresh produce could work IMHO. People driving home sure do have dinner on their mind.

I love farm fresh eggs but agree with Woody; too far out of my way and they are farm fresh at the Farmer’s Markets. Maybe you guys should do a stall at the Farmer’s Markets or even road-side in Tuggers?

thx for comments and good point about wasted travel. Obviously don’t want many people coming out anyway but i was thinking co-op groups of buyers. Plus i think people and chefs should equally be interested in viewing the place where the chickens live to make sure they are truly free range and being looked after properly. Again not a whole group but a representative for the group. So many people just go on the packet or heresay as to whether or not eggs are free range.

Yes, the travel is both a cost and environment problem. How about paying someone centrally located – pay with eggs – to set up an honesty system for your buyers in their shed? You could send them in with a Burra neighbour who commutes to work in Canberra …

Would Canberrans come out to Burra for egg supplies?

I wouldn’t. I’m on the southside, but it’d still be an 80km round trip for me. I can get free range eggs from multiple suppliers at the Southside Farmers Markets.