Happy hens crack award challenges
Sam Butler looks at the success at Cavanagh Free-Range Eggs in today’s News Letter.
Cavanagh Free-Range Eggs in Fermanagh, winner of the Best Artisan/Micro Food Producer in the News Letter’s popular GrowMakeEatDrink Awards, is enjoying strong growth in sales from major Northern Ireland retailers Asda and Tesco. Their success comes at a time when major retailers and restaurants are increasingly demanded eggs from cage-free birds.
“Winning a GrowMakeEatDrink award has helped in raising awareness of our free-range eggs throughout Northern Ireland,” says Eileen Hall, who runs Cavanagh Free-Range Eggs with husband John on their farm near Newtownbutler in Co. Fermanagh. “The publicity highlighted our commitment to free-range egg production has encouraged us to push ahead with our work to grow the business.
“We are also seeing greater interest in free-range eggs in Northern Ireland and the border counties of the Republic of Ireland,” she adds. John and Eileen both have a background in agriculture and had been keen to run their own farm.
“What sets our eggs apart is the deep yellow yolks and firm whites which don’t disintegrate in the pan,” continues Eileen, who hails from Westmeath. “This gives the eggs a consistently rich flavour. We’re fundamentally a family business with total control over all aspects of egg production. Chefs are impressed by the provenance of our eggs and tell us they have an amazing flavour. They find our eggs easy to work with especially when making delicate desserts,” she adds.
Among high-profile chefs featuring the farm’s free-range eggs for breakfast and other meals are the Merchant Hotel in Belfast, Lough Erne Resort in Enniskillen and La Mon House at Castlereagh. Cavanagh eggs were also used in meals for the G8 world leaders, including Barack Obama and David Cameron, during the summit at Lough Erne Estate, near Enniskillen, in 2013.
As well as major retailers Asda and Tesco, Cavanagh branded free-range eggs are also to be found at high-end delis in Northern Ireland, in shops along the border counties of Northern Ireland and the Republic and, most recently, in Scotland.
The outstanding taste of the farm’s eggs was endorsed by high profile judges in last year’s influential Irish Quality Food and Drink Awards in Dublin, an annual event for suppliers and supermarkets in Northern Ireland and the Republic. This success led Asda to approach the Halls to become suppliers.
The affable couple, who have two young boys, farm 100 acres and have flocks totalling more than 40,000 Lohmann Classic hens, a robust bird laying brown eggs with excellent shell colour and strength.
John and Eileen started farming soon after marriage in 2000 and have since grown the egg business into a thriving and award winning enterprise. Other recognition has included UK Great Taste Awards. The couple started to build their first free-range hen house in September 2001 and the first flock of birds was housed the following January.
After a period supplying eggs to a Monaghan company, the couple decided to develop their own brand and business network. That was in March 2012. The Cavanagh Free-Range brand is named after the remote townland in which the farm is located.
The farm’s 42,000 hens have free run of the farm and are fed a rich diet, a high corn feed that’s packed with a range of vitamins and trace elements. The flock of happy hens have the run of the farm and produce upwards of 13 million eggs a year.
“Our aim this year is to build on the important and immensely encouraging deals with Asda and Tesco by turning a number of other interesting approaches in Britain into firm business. And it all looks very promising,” John, originally from Monaghan, adds.
“We firmly believe that contented hens lay great quality eggs. The welfare of the birds is a key concern for us. Our hens are all free to roam the farm’s pastures. And we are dedicated to creating the best possible environment for them.
“Eggs are not only tasty but full of nutrition too, having a high protein content, with naturally occurring vitamins, minerals and trace elements such A, B and D vitamins, Folic Acid, Iron, and Calcium. They are also low in calories and have justifiably earned superfood rating,” he continues.
As part of its traceability system, all the farm’s eggs are stamped with the unique farm ID code and with a ‘best-before’ date on the packs.
The husband and wife team has developed Cavanagh Free-Range Eggs into one of Northern Ireland’s most successful artisan business with a fine track record for consistently high-quality eggs and excellent customer service.
