Farmers Weekly Awards 2022: Poultry Farmer of the Year

St Ewe Free Range Eggs, Grampound Road, Cornwall has won Farmer’s Weekly’s Poultry Farmer of the Year.

From humble beginnings as a small, family-owned egg producer packing its own eggs in 2007, St Ewe Free Range Eggs has grown exponentially, selling some 200,000 eggs/day to all four major supermarkets, local retailers and catering outlets across the country.

Yet, despite this expansion, which this year culminated in the opening of a new state-of-the-art packing centre, the business has retained its family feel, with an emphasis on “doing the right thing”.

Educating consumers on provenance, an open approach to business, and high hen welfare are three of the main business principles.

There is also a strong emphasis on branding as St Ewe seeks to achieve a premium price for a premium product.

See also: Farmers Weekly Awards 2022: Poultry Farmer of the Year finalists

The Rich Yolk brand, developed in partnership with Humphrey Feeds, is supplied to some of the country’s top restaurants, while Super Eggs were launched during  the Covid-19 pandemic to deliver on health and wellbeing.

“We also continue to grow in the e-commerce sector, which has seen incredible growth as a result of the pandemic and a shift in consumer buying behaviour,” says owner Rebecca Tonks.

All eggs meet Red Lion Code standards, and more than £70,000 was invested in marketing in 2020, including sponsorship of the Exeter Chiefs rugby team.

Deliveries are made using the company’s own vehicles and third-party hauliers, while a pasteuriser has been installed at St Ewe’s original home – Ventonwyn Farm, Tregony.

Such efforts and tight cost control have enabled the company to go from its first ever loss – during the pandemic – to its largest-ever profit in 2021-22.

Social responsibility

It’s not all about profit, however, and social responsibility is also taken seriously at St Ewe.

Faced with a loss of customers during Covid lockdowns, the company launched its “Shell Out to Help Out” campaign, selling eggs at cost price to the local community.  

Under a new charitable initiative called “the Bakers Dozen”, every 13th egg sold to retail is now donated to food banks.

Despite an overall dependence on contract producers, production at Rebecca’s home farm continues, with 7,200 free-range hens kept on flat deck systems, with winter gardens attached. These birds are used for trials of diets, as new brands are developed.

“We would never ask our contract farmers to trial feeds and processes unless we had previously fully researched all potential knock-on effects,” says Rebecca.

Biosecurity is another top priority, especially as St Ewe’s egg pasteuriser is based at Ventonwyn, and any outbreak of avian influenza would shut down the whole facility.

Future plans

The new packing centre, housing a Moba Omnia 330 grader, provides the foundation to take the business to the next level.

“We are planning on increasing employment opportunities in the local area by adding another 15 team members – a 33% increase – over the next few years,” says Rebecca.

This will require additional egg production and Rebecca is constantly on the lookout for suitable candidates, who are largely found through word of mouth and recommendations.

But she insists that, however much it grows, the company will always focus on the same core values of openness, quality, customer service and social awareness – setting a shining example for the entire egg supply chain.

The other finalists were: 

Clive Soanes Broilers, Lund, Yorkshire

Richard Pinfield, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire