FREE RANGE EGG PRODUCER PROUD OF LOCAL BUSINESS ACHIEVEMENT
Haddenham based free range egg producers Steve and Jane Gollins – who own and run Bradmoor Hatcheries – pride themselves on their attitude to local business.
Relatively new to the free range industry, Steve and Jane have built their business around the ethos of localness. Their customary deliveries of fresh free range eggs to local businesses and residents promote a traditional way of life now rare in the UK.
The eggs are distributed to local farm and village shops, restaurants, nurseries, garden centres, neighbours, nursing homes and also butchers. It is through one butcher in particular, Newitts of Thame in Oxfordshire, that the eggs are then supplied to a range of outlets further afield, including a two-Michelin starred restaurants.
Steve says of his product:
“Our customers like the eggs because they are so fresh. They can ring us and we deliver within 24 hours.
Consumers are becoming more carbon conscious and they like to know where their eggs have come from, how long ago they were laid and that they are seen as advocates of the environmental and economic benefits of eating locally.”
Bradmoor Hatcheries is a relatively small free range operation on a 13 acre farm set in the rural town of Haddenham. The farm is home to 3 sheds that can hold up to 1500 birds each.
“We have 2 sheds running all the time” Steve tells us, “and are cleaning and preparing the next shed for a new flock. Poultry feed specialists Humphrey Feeds, who supply all our feed, have been able to advise us on how best to look after our birds to ensure optimum productivity and egg quality.
Feed is your highest production cost and vital to providing the birds with the necessary nutrition and so having a poultry specialist, such as Anthony Harman from Humphrey Feeds has been absolutely crucial to our success.”
Steve works with a small team including his wife Jane. “I take care of all the administration for the business and help with all other aspects of the daily running, including egg collection, grading and packing,” says Jane. “I often do deliveries on route to my other business. We are proud that most of our business in on our doorstep and helps provide for the local community.”
Steve continues:
“One supplier will put you in contact with another, this is how we have developed and grown. We grade, pack and sell our own eggs to a range of outlets. Retaining this high level of control and having our own independence is very important.
We are constantly looking for new business and it is crucial that we always have an outlet for the eggs. Running over 3000 birds means we are big enough to build up egg numbers very quickly. If the demand for our eggs continues to rise then we will continue to grow.”
The way in which Steve and Jane run their free range egg business allows them to be involved with all stages of the supply chain, from the arrival of the birds, to the collection and packing of the eggs and the eventual delivery to local customers.
“The focus remains firmly on staying local,” concludes Steve.
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